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A Cosmic Enlightenment: Thomas Wright’s Lunar Legacy

Category
Exhibition
Interpretations
MA students
Date
-
• A photograph of Thomas Wright’s Orrery, an 18th century device used in lectures which visualised the motions of the galaxy as he understood them. The device is interactive, with a handle to demonstrate the Earth’s rotation, and combines Zodiac, Gregorian and Julian calendars, a compass, as well as the motions of the Sun, and timings of eclipses.
Date
11 December 2024 - 1 March 2025
Location
Online exhibition
Category

This exhibition introduces the pioneering work of English astronomer and instrument maker, Thomas Wright, with a view to rediscover the wonders of the galaxy through the 18th century Enlightenment lens.

Enlightenment thinking uniquely combined ideas around science, art, philosophy and religion. A Cosmic Enlightenment explores Thomas Wright’s enlightened approach to astronomy and how it advanced interest and understanding of the Milky Way amongst the 18th century general public.

Suitable for all audiences, the exhibition is fronted by an exciting 2D animation that introduces you to the curious world of Thomas Wright.

The exhibition has been curated by four MA students, with objects carefully selected from the Science Museum’s online collection under the Creative Commons Licence. All exhibition text includes both English and Chinese translations.

Visit the exhibition

A Cosmic Enlightenment is part of a wider series of online exhibitions curated by Art Gallery and Museum Studies and Arts Management and Heritage MA students from the School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies, as part of an Interpretations course module.

Visit the online exhibition.

Image

Orrery with original winding handle made by Thomas Wright, Fleet Street, London, 1735-1740. Once belonged to Stephen Demainbray. King's College, London © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum. This image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence.