AstroMedia: The moon clock

AstroMedia: The Moon Clock

This clock goes by the moon. Precisely.

And like the moon, this astronomical clock also moves very slowly. It takes 29 days, 12 hours and 44 minutes for the moon to show all its phases, exactly the average time from one new moon to the next.

How is this possible?

In the moon clock, a half-white, half-black sphere is slowly rotated by a special movement so that it continuously displays the current phase of the moon from minute to minute, from the first gentle crescent moon to the waxing half moon to the full moon and then back to the new moon. The display of the phases is as accurate as that of the moon itself, because this large sphere in space, which is always half illuminated, is no different when interacting with the sun.

Although AstroMedia´s moon clock has historical models in the great astronomical clocks of the Middle Ages, as a wall and table clock it is probably the first and only one in the world to show the changing phases of the moon in this way. The assembly of this cardboard kit with special clockwork is uncomplicated and quickly leads to a very elegant result.

Product details

pre-cut and printed construction cardboard, 3 x DIN A4 for assembly

with detailed assembly instructions (in German!)

special clockwork, rotation: 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes

black and white moon hemisphere made of EVA, accessories

Dimensions of the assembled item: approx. 12 x 7.5 x 14.5 cm (W/D/H)

not included: 1 battery, type AA (LR6)

The construction time is approx. 3-4 hours.

This kit contains:

3 punched sheets of 0.4 mm thick construction cardboard

1 special clockwork 56 x 56 x 16 mm (1 rotation in 29.53 days), incl. washer, rubber washer and nut. A standard AA battery is required.

1 cardboard drinking straw for the reducing sleeve for attaching the wooden rod to the moon shaft

3 toothpicks 2 x 80 mm for the wooden rod to extend the moon shaft, 2 of them as a reserve

1 white and 1 black hemisphere 40 x 20 mm made of elastic hard foam for the two colors of the moon sphere

1 cardboard sheet with cut-out parts (back of moon surround and base cover for base)

What you need for assembly:

a firm, flat work surface with a cutting mat, e.g. a self-healing cutting mat, on which cuts close again

a sharp knife (cutter knife, e.g. the AstroMedia craft knife) or a scalpel to cut through the retaining strips in the cardboard panels and to cut through the cutting lines of very narrow slits that can only be punched for technical reasons

a folding bone or a small spoon for tracing sharp fold lines

a good all-purpose glue - solvent-based all-purpose glue is more suitable than water-based, solvent-free glue: it dries faster and does not curl the cardboard.

some adhesive tape

a black and optionally a gold felt-tip pen to color the edges of the cardboard

a sharp pencil

a ruler or a set square

combination pliers or a size 11 wrench to tighten the nut on the screw neck of the movement