Evening star., 1942-08-02
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The entire universe has been re-
duced to the confines of q drafting
board in the basement of a Bethesda
(MdD home.
The plans call for a streamined,
table planetarium, with the planets
geared to an electric motor.
In cupboards and on tables lie
stacks of papers and drawings, filled
with astronomical calculations and
statistics for the proper gearing that
will send the planets around their
table track at a rate relatively cor
rect to one another, and according
to the time actually required for
them to complete their orbits.
To the layman the intricacies OF
the calculations and the practical
problem of gearing the planets seem
hopelessly complicated, but it's just
hobby to its designer, Edmund C.
Stanton, of 48l5 Battery lane,
Bethesda.
Former Astronomy Teacher.
An engineer and for four years a
teacher of astronomy, Mr.. Stanton
has spent odd times over a number
of years developing his plans. Now
that he has retired from the Public
Buildings Administration as an elec-
trical engineer, he has time to devote
to rechecking his figures and to start
making the model, a task which he
expects will take two years.
His desire to make the model is
about half the reason I wanted to
retire, or maybe it's two thirds" he
said.
Reduced to simplest terms. the por-
ton OF the, table on which the
planets will revolve. something in
the manner of mechanical rabbit
at dog track, will be approximately
% inches square. The tracks for the
orbits of the planets, starting with
the sun and working out In larger,
eccentric circles designed to approx
mate the orbits within several
hundreths of a degree. have been
drawn to the scale of 20, 900 900 miles
to the inch for the four inside
planets.
Specifically, the four inner planets
are Mercury, Venus, Earth and
Mars. In the case of Saturn, Uranus
and Neptune. there will be indicators
to point to where they would be If
the board was large enough for them
The orbit of Jupiter will be 10000, ,00C
miles to the inch.
| Slot Around Center Of Globe.
| Mr.. Stanton is by no means en-
barking on the project without pre-
vious experience. Four or five years
ago he constructed a celestial globe
run by an electric motor placed in
side. Around the center Of the globe
is a slot in which disc of the sur
revolves 365 times a year and a dist
of the moon IL times a year. The
globe has been geared to turn or
the Sidereal year, based approx.
mately on q hours and Sc minutes &
day instead of "a hours In the sola
day.
So accurately has the mechanism
been geared, 1t will take 1,760 year
for the celestial bodies outlined OF
the surface of the globe to be on
degree of. OF course, the calcula
ton is based on the slim hope tina
the motor will run that long, tina
the electric current will remain un
changed and that there will b.
some one around at that time VIII
will remember to look at 1t.
Mr.. Stanton has obtained this &C
curacy through the use of only tw
pairs Of gears inside the globe, which
can be seen by taking on part o
its surface. Equipped with severa
lathes and . large assortment o
tools in his basement workshop, Nj
Stanton made the parts for tn
globe himself. He viii make tn