Tellurion Puzzle 3D wood UGEARS

Mechanical tellurion - UGear

The idea of a wooden Tellurion Mechanical Ugears Puzzle 3d model on the theme of space "floats in the ether" at Ugears for some time now. Every time we announce a new model, hopeful Ugears fans ask, "Is this a planet?" From this shared desire was born a project. Our mission: to spread knowledge of space and time by helping people visualize the movements of the planet we live on and its closest satellite, the Moon.

A little bit of history

Ugears is proud to present the Mechanical Telluion, an accurate wooden representation of our corner of the universe. A wooden Ugears Puzzle Mechanical Tellurion (sometimes called a loxocosm), is an ingenious mechanism that depicts the cosmic dance between the Sun, Earth and Moon. The causes of day and night, the phases of the Moon and the change of seasons are perceived and understood according to the movements of this 3D puzzle. The tellurion (from the Latin "tellus", meaning "Earth") is related to the planetary, which illustrates the relative positions and motions of planets and moons in the solar system according to a heliocentric model.

What is my place in the universe? Where am I going? We can't help you answer the metaphysical side of these questions, but this wooden puzzle will help you understand the journeys you take as a passenger on planet Earth, and your interconnected relationship with some of your closest celestial neighbors. We all know the regular cycles of day and night, the phases of the Moon, the changes of seasons and the passage of years. But how many of us really understand these phenomena or are able to explain what lies behind the clocks and calendars that govern our lives? Any child can tell you how old they are, but ask them how many times they've circled the Sun, and you might get a puzzled look, or an array of funny answers: One hundred and twenty-seven? Ten thousand? Once? Never?

How Mechanical Tellurion Works

Build the mesmerizing wooden model Tellurion, show it to your family and friends and you will have a better understanding of the heavens, the seasons and the concept of time itself. Turn the crank to set the precisely calibrated gear system in motion. One turn of the crank = a rotation of the Earth on its axis = one day. Aim for a point on the Earth's surface, observe the position of the Earth rotating relative to the Sun and visualize the sunrise and sunset, the transition from day to night. The Tellurion shows that the phases of the Moon are a function of the position of the Moon relative to the Sun and Earth. As it rotates, the Moon rises and falls slightly, changing its trajectory. Earth's orbit around the Sun, coupled with a correct representation of the Earth's 23.5-degree inclined orientation on its axis, explains why the seasons change (outside of equatorial regions). The Tellurion indicates the passage of the seasons, while giving a beautiful graphic representation of the zodiac, indicating the sign and constellation under which you were born.

The Ugears mechanical Tellurion can be manually adjusted or "adjusted" to provide an accurate representation of the relative positions of the Sun, Earth and Moon on a given day. To "tune" the mechanism, set the hand in the middle of winter or summer to the dial of the seasons. The Earth, on its inclined axis, can be rotated (using a gear located under the phases of the Moon) so that one or the other hemisphere is furthest from the sun in the middle of the dreary winter, or closest to the sun in summer. Turn the crank the correct number of days forward or backward from the nearest solstice in time, to set the current day. After consulting a lunar calendar, use the upper disk to adjust the position of the Moon to its correct phase. Your Tellurion is now "settled". Each day, give the model a crank turn to track the Earth's progress around the Sun and the Moon's lunar cycle orbiting the Earth.

Discover the space together

By studying the movements of your Tellurion Ugears, you will learn that the full Moon occurs when the Moon is behind the Earth, far from the Sun. This is because the sun illuminates the entire surface of the Moon that is visible to us (the "bright side" of the Moon). In contrast, when the moon is between the earth and the sun, the sun's rays illuminate the part of the moon that turns away from us (the "dark side" of the moon). This phase is called the "new moon", that is, the period during which the moon is not visible in the night sky. In the intervals between these phases, the moon grows and decreases, changing its apparent shape, depending on the illuminated part we can observe from the earth. The phases of the moon are just one of the many somewhat counterintuitive astronomical understandings that are easy to visualize with the Tellurion Ugears 3D puzzle.

At Ugears, a rough or "close enough" approximation is not really our style. To represent the orbital periods of our planet and the Moon, our engineers equipped the mechanical Tellurion with a sophisticated gear system (first developed by Dutch mathematician Christiaan Huygens in the 17th century) to obtain the most accurate approximations possible for a wooden mechanism at this scale. The Earth gear has an orbital period of 365.256 days, while the Moon-Earth gear has an orbital period of 27.323, which gives an accuracy of the order of a thousandth of a day.

Technical information:

The Ugears Tellurion mechanical model kit consists of 249 parts. This model is of a "Medium" level of difficulty and the assembly time is estimated at 5 hours. This 3D representation of the Earth's movements and its interaction with nearby celestial bodies will appeal to anyone interested in space, astronomy, observing the sky or those who wish to understand, or teach a child, the basic natural phenomena that govern our lives: day and night, the seasons, the lunar cycle and the construction of time. The Tellurion is a great DIY project or gift idea for any budding hobbyist or astronomer. We're excited to finally bring this beautiful 3D tellurion/planetary model to Ugears enthusiasts around the world – the world we're shooting on together.

To assemble yourself, without the use of glue.

Dimensions: 40.4 x 26 x 30.5 cm
Number of rooms : 249

Assembly: about 5h