Orrery models position, motion of planets

Solar eclipses, like the one over North America on April 8, have fascinated observers for thousands of years. The Maya of Mesoamerica used their astronomical observations to predict eclipses. The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle pointed to the round shadows that appear during eclipses as evidence that the Earth is round. European Renaissance figures like Nicolaus Copernicus, Galileo Galilei…