At five metres in diameter, the Jodrell Bank orrery – a moving, model of the Solar System – is believed to be the largest of its kind in the world and includes a complex system of 52 brass gears that ...

When most of us were growing up, the solar system seemed reliable and well behaved. “There were nine planets orbiting in well-determined orbits like clockwork, forever,” says Renu Malhotra of ...