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Turning of the Week for January 19, 2026

Bill Boehme

Bill Boehme

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My selection for Turning of the Week for January 19, 2026, is Armillary Sphere by Clayton Thigpen. At first glance one might mistake it for a gimballed gyroscope, but it’s actually a very complex astronomy instrument that describes the complex motions of the sun, moon, planets, and stars in a geocentric (Earth centered) universe centuries ago when it was generally accepted that the Earth was the center of the universe before the heliocentric astronomical model (Sun centered model of the solar system) became the standard. As a retired Navigation, Guidance, and Control engineer, I was intrigued by this ancient instrument, which hadn't been seen for centuries before one was built on the campus of St. John’s College in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

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Here is a video that describes the design and implementation of the Armillary Sphere.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YCuozracGo
 
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