My new toy - Spilhaus Space Clock

[58limited]

This is the Spilhaus Space Clock. This was sold by Edmund Scientific (remember them?) in the mid 1960s. Designed by Dr. Athelstan Spilhaus, the large upper dial consists of five disks that can give you these 15 up to the minute readings at a glance:

1. The horizon and the Visible Heavens
2. Sun's position in the sky.
3. Moon's Position
4. Position of the Stars
5. Relative Position of Sun, Moon and Stars
6. Day of Month and Year ... a Perpetual Calendar
7. Solar Time of Sun, Moon and Stars at Meridian
8. Sidereal or Star Time.
9. Current Phase of the Moon
10. Time of Daily Sunrise and Sunset
11. Mean Time of Moon Rise and Moon Set
12. Mean Time of Star Rise and Star Set
13. Current Time High or Low Tide
14. Current Stage of the Tide
15. Mean Solar Time This clock is located in

To the lower left is a regular clock, to the lower right is a 24 hour clock with the major cities of the world listed.

My clock has a few gears that are cracked (they are nylon). There is a machine shop that reproduces the gears in Delrin (more durable than nylon) so I have sent mine to be replaced - $35.00 each.

For more info see the link below.

http://www.sandsmuseum.com/misc/spillhaus/spilhausclock.html

 

[frontaloadotmy]

Very Nice

Is it electrically operated, or wind ?

 

[58limited]

It is electric. It is also lighted - it uses three 48A bulbs which are very hard to find - they were mass produced for Bell telephone switch boards but are now hard to find. You can use a 48C bulb, but they are half as bright.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Fantastic clock, but I think "a glance" is too short an interval to find and absorb that much information. When these were new, what was the retail price?

 

[58limited]

They cost $150.00 in 1964. Yes, "at a glance" is not enough time for a layman like me to read all of that info. Dr. Spilhaus was a genius and those familiar with astronomy and such could read this. I am a (very) amateur astronomy student (I don't take formal classes, just study in my spare time) but I think this is a neat clock. At the very least, I can use the tide and moon info to plan fishing trips.

In addition to the Space Clock, I have a collection of Spitz Jr. Planetariums from the 1950's, including the ultra rare Sky Zoo. I'm trying to add to my collection but ebay is just about the only source for some of this stuff and bidding gets crazy.