Beyond Celestial Toys: Orreries and Public Astronomical Lectures in the Eighteenth Century

太陽系儀與十八世紀大眾天文演示

10.6464/TJSSTM.201304_(16).0004

黃相輔(Hsiang-Fu Huang)

太陽系儀 ； 天文演示 ； 十八世紀 ； 科學傳播史 ； 天文史 ； orrery ； planetarium ； astronomy display ； eighteenth century ； history of science communication ； history of astronomy

科技醫療與社會

16期（2013 / 04 / 01）

161 - 222

英文

太陽系儀是十八世紀以降在西歐迅速發展的太陽系機械模型，被廣泛應用在當時的自然哲學演講，用以展示各種天文現象原理。十八世紀中葉後，隨著教學及推廣的需求，低價的簡化小型太陽系儀問世，使太陽系儀成為新興的中產階級人士也能負擔得起的商品，不再僅是極少數富裕貴族的珍藏。十八世紀的大眾自然哲學演講與儀器製造行業的興盛密不可分；太陽系儀的發展與此兩者緊密相扣，是揭露當代天文推廣及物質文化的絕佳線索。本論文以十八世紀自然哲學演示及儀器行業為脈絡，論述太陽系儀在其中扮演寓教於樂之角色。除歷史論述外，並選取英國格林威治皇家天文台的部份館藏太陽系儀實物，考察製造者及相關文獻紀錄予以佐證。研究結果顯示在所選取的實物中，其中兩件太陽系儀（館藏編號AST1055、AST1066）最可能在當年的大眾天文演示場合使用。其他實物則可能為家庭或私人收藏之用。

This article introduces a selection of orreries collected in the Royal Observatory, Greenwich/National Maritime Museum, London. Eight items were investigated in this study. As important visual aids of astronomy developed in the eighteenth century and used in contemporary public philosophical lectures, the orreries provide a good case study through which to investigate the material culture in eighteenth-century Britain. A joint collaboration between instrument business and philosophical lecturing was formed in the eighteenth century marketplace, and this market was promoted by the politeness pursuit. This study shows how the orreries combined instruction with entertainment in eighteenth century polite culture context. Most of the orreries in the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, are small portable types. Among the eight selected items, William Lacy's orrery (AST1066) is the most unique and was designated to be used in specific demonstration of the Saturn system. Item AST1055 made by W. and S. Jones was also probably for public demonstration. Other items were most likely for domestic use or private possession.

1. Ferguson, James (1756). Astronomy Explained upon Sir Isaac Newton's Principles, and Made Easy to those Who Have not Studied mathematics. London.
2. Halley, Edmond (1705). A Synopsis of the Astronomy of Comets. Oxford
3. Ottewell, Guy (1989). The Thousand-Yard Model: or, the Earth as a Peppercorn. http://www.noao.edu/education/peppercorn/pcmain.html (Retrieved: December 11 , 2010).
4. Ferguson, James (1747). A Dissertation upon the Phœnomena of the Harvest Moon. Also, the Description and Use of a New Four-Wheel'd Orrery, and an Essay upon the Moon's Turning Round Her own axis. London
5. Martin, Benjamin (1759). The Young Gentleman and Lady's Philosophy, London. (First published as one of the four independent serial parts of the General Magazine of Arts and Sciences commencing in 1755)
6. Martin, Benjamin (1757). The Theory of Comets, Illustrated, in Four Parts. London.
7. Arden, James (1774). Analysis of Mr. Arden's Course of Lectures on Natural and Experimental Philosophy.
8. Martin, Benjamin (1771). The Description and Use of An Orrery of A New Construction. London
9. Martin, Benjamin (1762). The Description and Use of Both the Globes, Armillary Sphere and Orrery. London
10. Martin, Benjamin (1747). Philosophia Britannica: or A New and Comprehensive System of the Newtonian Philosophy, Astronomy and Geography, Reading
11. Desaguliers, J. T. (1734). A Course of Experimental Philosophy. London.
12. Ferguson, James (1768). The Young Gentleman and Lady's Astronomy, Familiarly Explained in Ten Dialogues Between Neander and Eudosia. Dublin
13. Arden, J. (1772). A Short Account of A Course of Natural and Experimental Philosophy. Coventry
14. Maskelyne, Nevil (1787). Gentleman 's Magazine 57: 59
15. Deane, William (1738). The Description of the Copernican System, with the Theory of the Planets. London
16. Adams, George (1772). A Treatise Describing the Construction, and Explaining the Use of New Celestial and Terrestrial Globes (third edition). London.
17. Lacy, William (1777). An Introduction to Astronomy, by Which the Knowledge of the Solar System is Rendered Extremely Easy to Youth, and those Who Have Not Studied Mathematics. London.
18. Asher, D. J.(2007).The Human Orrery: A New Educational Tool for Astronomy.Astronomy Education Review,5(2),159-176.
19. Bailey, M.(2005).The Human Orrery: Ground-based Astronomy for All.Astronomy & Geophysics,46(3),3.31-3.45.
20. Bennett, Jim(2006).Catadioptrics and Commerce in Eighteenth-century London.History of Science,44(2),247-278.
21. Clifton, Gloria(1995).Directory of British Scientific Instrument Makers 1550-1851.London:National Maritime Museum.
22. de Chadarevian, Soraya(ed.),Hopwood, Nick(ed.)(2004).Models: The Third Dimension of Science.Stanford:Stanford University Press.
23. Egerton, J.(1990).Wright of Derby.London:Tate Gallery Publications.
24. Elliot, Paul(2000).The Birth of Public Science in the English Provinces: Natural Philosophy in Derby, c. 1690-1760.Annals of Science,57(1),61-100.
25. Fara, Patricia(2002).An Entertainment for Angels: Electricity in the Enlightenment.Cambridge:Icon Books.
26. Freeth, T(2006).Decoding the Ancient Greek Astronomical Calculator Known as the Antikythera Mechanism.Nature,444,587-591.
27. Gregory, Jane,Miller, Steve(1998).Science in Public: Communication, Culture, and Credibility.Cambridge, Massachusetts:Basic Books.
28. Holmes, Richard(2008).The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science.London:Harper Press.
29. King, Henry C.,Millburn, John R.(1978).Geared to the Stars: the Evolution of Planetariums, Orreries and Astronomical Clocks.Toronto:University of Toronto Press.
30. Kronk, G. W.(1999).Cometography, Ancient-1799.Cambridge:Cambridge University Press.
31. Langford, Paul(1989).A Polite and Commercial People: England 1727-1783.Oxford:Oxford University Press.
32. Millburn, John R.(1973).Benjamin Martin and the Development of the Orrery.The British Journal for the History of Science,6(4),378-399.
33. Morton, A. Q.,Wess, J. A.(1993).Public and Private Science: The King George III Collection.Oxford:Oxford University Press.
34. Price, D. de Solla(1974).Gears from the Greeks: The Antikythera Mechanism-A calendar computer from ca. 80 BC..Transactions of the American Philosophical Society,New Series 64,1-70.
35. Shapin, S.,Schaffer, S.(1985).Leviathan and the Air-pump: Hobbes, Boyle, and the Experimental Life.Princeton:Princeton University Press.
36. Sorrenson, Richard(1999).George Graham, Visible Technician.The British Journal for the History of Science,32(2),203-221.
37. Stewart, Larry(1992).The Rise of Public Science: Rhetoric, Technology, and Natural Philosophy in Newtonian Britain, 1660-1750.Cambridge:Cambridge University Press.
38. Taylor, E. G. R.(1954).The Mathematical Practioners of Tudor and Stuart England.Cambridge:Cambridge University Press.
39. Taylor, Katie(2009).Mogg's Celestial Sphere (1813): The Construction of Polite Astronomy.Studies in History and Philosophy of Science,40(4),360-371.
40. Walters, Alice N.(1992).Department of History, University of California, Berkeley.
41. Walters, Alice N.(1997).Conversation Pieces: Science and Politeness in Eighteenth-Century England.History of Science,35,121-154.

1. 廖英凱,林陳涌(2022)。科學傳播：傳播甚麼科學？。科技醫療與社會，34，247-255。