orrery

noun

or·​rery ˈȯr-ər-ē 

ˈär-

plural orreries

: 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 Web

In the 1700s, the orrery, a clockwork model of the Solar System, was developed. — Martin Bush, Space.com, 5 July 2025

The discovery underscored how Earth was not the center of the universe, but a small player in an orrery of smaller orbs spinning around greater ones. — science.org, 19 Sep. 2024

By the 1950s, the traditional Copernican orrery was in need of an electronic upgrade. — IEEE Spectrum, 1 Oct. 2023

And like a globe, an orrery also serves a practical function. — Jay Bennett and Jennifer Leman, Popular Mechanics, 19 Jan. 2021

Word History

Etymology

Charles Boyle †1731 4th Earl of Orrery

First Known Use

1713, in the meaning defined above