: an apparatus showing the relative positions and motions of bodies in the solar system by balls moved by a clockwork
Illustration of orrery
Examples of orrery in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebThe most striking addition to their dark jumble shop are several balls, such as a soccer ball and the bright red sphere of a punching bag, on stands, which turns the whole room into a janky orrery—a model of a planetary system—with a Spalding basketball playing the Earth.—Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2024 By the 1950s, the traditional Copernican orrery was in need of an electronic upgrade.—IEEE Spectrum, 1 Oct. 2023 Few things are as captivating as an orrery.—Jay Bennett and Jennifer Leman, Popular Mechanics, 19 Jan. 2021 And like a globe, an orrery also serves a practical function.—Jay Bennett and Jennifer Leman, Popular Mechanics, 19 Jan. 2021 Christina suggests Hiram’s hidden pages are connected to his orrery — or solar system model — which was secreted away in his home.—Ariana Romero, refinery29.com, 8 Sep. 2020 Hippolyta finds in the orrery, which send her to the observatory (the numbers are 39.805499 and -95.159492).—Ariana Romero, refinery29.com, 28 Sep. 2020
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'orrery.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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