UGears - Mechanical Tellurium, 3D mechanical model

What is our place in the Universe, where do we come from, where are we going and where are we going?
We can't help you with the metaphysical aspect of these questions, but this model will help you understand the journeys we make as passengers on planet Earth, as well as the relationship between earth, sun and moon. We experience the regular cycles of day and night, the phases of the moon, the changing of the seasons and the passing of the years naturally, but how many of us really understand these phenomena, or can explain what lies behind the clocks and calendars that regulate our lives? Any boy or girl can tell you how old they are, but if you ask them how many times they've been around the sun, they probably won't be able to tell you for sure.
Assemble the captivating model, enjoy showing it to everyone, and they will have a better understanding of the sky, the seasons and the concept of time itself. Turn the crank to start the gear system. One turn of the crank is equivalent to one rotation of the earth around its axis, or one day. Point to a place on the earth's surface, observe the position of the earth rotating with respect to the sun and visualise sunrise and sunset and the transition from day to night.
The Tellurion will show you that the phases of the moon are the result of the moon's position in relation to the sun and the earth. As it rotates, the moon rises and falls slightly, thus changing its trajectory. The orbit of the earth around the sun, together with the correct representation of the 23.5 degree inclined orientation of the earth on its axis, reflects why the seasons change (outside the areas close to the equator). The Tellurion shows the passing of the seasons and gives at the same time a magnificent graphic representation of the zodiac, showing the sign and the constellation.

The Ugears Mechanical Tellurion can be manually adjusted or "tuned" to ensure accurate representation of the relative positions of the sun, earth and moon on a given day. To "tune" the mechanism, place the indicator in the centre of "Winter" or "Summer" on the seasonal quadrant. You can rotate the earth on its tilted axis (using the gear below the moon phases) to get one hemisphere as far away from the sun as possible in the middle of winter, or as close to the sun as possible in summer. To adjust the current day turn the crank forwards or backwards by the number of days to or from the nearest solstice in time. After consulting the lunar calendar, use the upper cogwheel to adjust the position of the moon to its correct phase. The Tellurion is now "set". Turn the crank on your model each day one turn, so that it shows the advance of the earth around the sun, and the cycle of the moon revolving around the earth.

By studying the Tellurion's movements you will learn that when the moon is full, the moon is behind the earth, on the side away from the sun. Thus, the sun illuminates the entire surface of the moon visible to us (the "bright side" of the moon). On the other hand, when the moon is between the earth and the sun, the sun's rays illuminate the part of the moon that is far away from us (the "dark side" of the moon). This phase is called the "new moon", the period during which the moon is not visible in the night sky. During the intervals between these two phases, the moon waxes and wanes, changing its visible shape according to the portion of its illuminated part that we can see from the earth. The moon phases are just one of the not so easy to understand astronomical facts that can be visualised perfectly with the Ugears Tellurion 3D puzzle.

A general or sufficient approximation is not Ugears' style. To represent the orbital periods of our planet and the moon, his design engineers have provided the mechanical Tellurion with a sophisticated system of gears (first created by the Dutch mathematician Christiaan Huygens in the 17th century) to achieve the most accurate approximations that can be obtained with a wooden mechanism of this dimension. The earth gear has an orbital period of 365.256 days, while the moon-earth gear system has an orbital period of 27.323, achieving an accuracy of one thousandth of a day.

The 3D representation of the Earth's movements and their interrelationship with nearby celestial bodies will appeal to anyone interested in space, astronomy or stargazing, but also to anyone who wants to understand or teach their children about the basic natural phenomena that determine our lives: day/night, seasons, lunar cycle and the concept of time. The Tellurion is a great DIY project or gift idea for any model maker or future astronomers.

UGEARS creates attractive and imaginative mechanical models, made of wood, that move on their own and can be assembled without glue.

Their designs are inspired by real mechanisms and show their love of art and ingenuity. At UGEARS they think that building these beautiful models should also be fun, and they dedicate their best engineering know-how.

The meticulous testing and quality control of their products has a single goal: to ensure that their models provide a captivating and rewarding experience for the whole family.