The tabletop Planetarium
Pre-cut cardboard kit for a classic armillary sphere showing the movements of the Sun, Moon, planets and fixed star sky above and below the horizon, for every day of the year and for every location on Earth.
The classic
This type of classical armillary sphere has been used as a standard instrument for observer-centred astronomy for over 2,000 years. With the tabletop planetarium, the movements of the sun, moon, planets and stars above and below the horizon can be shown and made understandable, for every day of the year and for every place on earth.
Convincing mechanics
The meridian can be adjusted to all latitudes from the North to the South Pole. The ecliptic shows all annual positions of the sun, with date and degree scales and the ranges of the zodiac constellations and signs. The hour ring displays the True Local Time, the lengths of the day and night, and the twilight hours. Along the moving lunar orbit you can see the wandering nodes and the areas where solar and lunar eclipses take place. The planetary spheres can also be moved as desired.
Using our complementary book screw set, the rings and the stand of the tabletop planetarium can be assembled so that it can be disassembled and reassembled at any time.
A little tip
If you are looking for a handout for the tabletop planetarium and don't want to wait until we publish a current one. For the previous versions of our current tabletop planetarium there was already an accompanying manual, which we are happy to make available here for downloading free of charge. The earlier cardboard kits of the tabletop planetarium had a very similar structure. The year tables in this old manual are no longer up to date, but most of the information can be easily transferred or researched on the internet. Have fun with it.
Scope of delivery: The tabletop planetarium
- pre-cut and printed construction cardboard
- for assembly
- 16 x DIN A4
- with detailed building instructions
- incl. accessories such as planetary balls, axles and plastic bearings
- Dimensions of the assembled article:
- height approx. 35 cm, diameter horizon ring approx. 33 cm.
You will need the following for assembly
- a firm, level work Surface
- a cutting surface
- a sharp cutter knife, e.g. the craft knife
- a sharp pair of scissors
- some fine sandpaper, e.g. the sand sheet craft file
- a few clothes pegs
- a good all-purpose glue
- coloured felt tip pens or opaque paints to paint the planetary spheres
- a gold paint pen
- a silver paint pen
- optional: a screwdriver to tighten the book screws
Attention: Please decide before you start building whether you want to glue the table planetarium permanently or assemble it in such a way that it can be dismantled.
