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.

MCM Torica "Astroglobe" Tellurian by Tokyo Instrument Manufacturing Company Limited, Tokyo, Japan. Circa 1963. An interesting Ptolemaic view of our cosmo's. Functional & complete original.

Three metal legs support plastic celestial sphere, then supporting circular metal ring on vertical orientation. Inside which, the meridian (green plastic ring- vertically oriented) wraps around globe & is be slid to adjust globes' inclination. Graduated every 10 degrees, 0-90-0-90-0. Semi-circular, graduated ring (in regular sections) over top hemisphere can be rotated independently from North Pole, allowing for use over globe.

Horizon band (green plastic outer ring- horizontally oriented) graduated every 10 degrees, 0-360. Marked 'N' & 'S', respectively. Raised scales with 24 graduations (grey-discs) at each pole.

Interior surface shows marks indicating stars, celestial bodies, milky way (dotted area), w/ significant features & major constellation stars marked, dotted lines divide areas of sky. Ecliptic marked by band & dotted line. At center sits a 4-inch terrestrial globe, fixed in place w/ rods at poles. When celestial globe is rotated, terrestrial globe remains in place. Moon represented w/ Yellow plastic sphere, Sun represented by w/ Red. When Astroglobe is rotated, the Sun, moon, & Earth's rotation in celestial sphere is accurately observed.

Featured in The Science Museum Group.

Featured in The Scientific Instruments Collection at The University of Toronto.

Interesting & functional geared electric Mid-century Retro Tellurian. Unsigned, Japanese made for American market, circa 1950. 4-inch globe. Original, functional piece, with smooth and accurate gear rotations.

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