"Who Made It?" - Sir Isaac Newton and the Orrery
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February 1, 2022image: By Kaptain Kobold - https://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=127601212&size=m, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1097927
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orrery
Though the Greeks had working planetaria, the first orrery that was a planetarium of the modern era was produced in 1704, and one was presented to Charles Boyle, 4th Earl of Orrery – hence the name. They are typically driven by a clockwork mechanism with a globe representing the Sun at the center, and with a planet at the end of each of the arms.
This story has been around for a while and is on many websites. We are not sure if it is a true story, but it makes the point.!
Newton (1643-1727) had finished the design of a scale model of our solar system. A very skilled craftsman then built it from Newton's plans. In the center was a large ball made of brass which represented the sun. Revolving around this sun were smaller balls attached to spokes of different lengths. These balls represented the planets, and the spokes placed them at the proper distances from the sun. All of these balls, representing Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, were in their proper order. These balls were all geared together so that when a crank on the front was turned, they all moved in their orbits around the sun.
One day Newton was in his study reading when his friend, an atheist, came to visit him. His friend saw the model and instantly recognized what it was. As he slowly cranked the model, he studied it closely. He said to Newton, "This is magnificent! Who made it?"
"Nobody," Newton answered without looking up from his book.
His friend turned to him with a confused look and said, "You must not have heard me. I asked, 'Who made this wonderful model?'"
Looking up, Newton said with a perfectly straight face, "Nobody made it. Those balls and gears just appeared and put themselves together!"
His friend, now quite upset, said, "You must think I'm a fool! Of course, somebody made this! He's a genius, and I'd like to meet him!"
Newton set his book aside and slowly walked across the room to his friend. As they stood in front of the model, Newton explained to his friend, "This model is just a poor imitation of our wonderful universe. You know the laws and the precise order which govern our universe. I can't seem to convince you that this model, this toy, does not have a designer or a maker. However, you have said many times that the solar system, which this model represents, 'just happened'. Now tell me, is that the logical conclusion of a scientist?"
Newton's friend quickly understood how foolish he had been. He realized that there had to be a Master Designer and Creator for everything!
