Aberdeen Mechanics' Institution - Orrery

Founded to satisfy the public's thirst of knowledge, the Mechanics' Institute aimed to deliver courses and lectures on philosophical, scientific, technical and art subjects. Courses were provided on a regular basis and, over the years, the Institute was visited by some of the keenest British minds of the 19th century.

Professional lecturers were keen to deliver talks on scientific and philosophical subjects. Astronomy was a popular topic and many lectures about "Orrery" were organised as part of the Institute's programme. The word "Orrery" comes from the name of Charles Boyle, fourth Earl of Orrery (1676-1731) and means "a mechanical model, usually clockwork, devised to represent the motions of the earth and moon (and sometimes also the planets) around the sun" (Oxford English dictionary).