French Copernican armillary sphere. Overall height 24”. The armillary rests on top of an ebonized wooden column and carries the scars of woodworms.  A cast metal yoke supports 12“ diameter brass rings representing the equinoctial and solstitial colures . A gray metal alloy ecliptic dial is inscribed every 10°, with months and zodiac in French.  The sun sits on top of the central column. The Earth and moon are at the end of a three gear transmission that keeps the earth’s axis aligned with the celestial poles. There are nine ivory balls, each on bent steel ribbons. Four of these are small balls mounted between Mars and Jupiter and these represent the newly discovered planetoids in the asteroid belt. Uranus is the last planet to be shown, so it was made after 1781. This armillary predates a discovery of Neptune-  discovered in 1846.

Unsigned. American made, circa 1950. 4-inch globe. Original, functional piece.

Midcentury modern American "Astroglobe" tellurian by Torica.

1962 Chicago's World Fair Musser Prototype Model Copernican Planetarium.