Astro Kits

The five platonic solids are named after the Greek philosopher Plato, who described them extensively in his dialogue “Timaeus”. He saw in them the smallest, invisible building blocks of the world and assigned them to the classical elements. However, the five solids have been known for much longer, as for example 5000 year old engraved stones from Scotland show.

In 1910 the German Poet Christian Morgenstern wrote a poem about an inventor and his “Tagnachtlampe”, a lamp that turns day into night when you switch it on. 49 years later, Carl Barks had his Gyro Gearloose invent a similar device, the “gloom light”. Both ideas were never realised, not even filed for patent!

“The Golden Dividers” is not the name of a secret organisation, nor are they made from gold either. It is a kit for a set of dividers with a third leg that allows for determining the golden ratio in nature and artificial objects, like photographs, sculptures, drawings, etc. 

Cardboard kit for a fully functional slide rule, the predecessor of the pocket calculator. Allows for easy multiplication, division, calculation of squares, cubes, square and cubic roots, as well as the inverse.

Pre-punched kit with gold, black, red, blue, and white printing.

Construction time: 8-12 hours

Includes: planet spheres, axles, and PVC bearings. 

Height: 34cm, Diameter: 33cm

The Royal Cubit played a central part in the culture of ancient Egypt since its very beginnings 5000 years ago and is therefore one of the very first standards of measurement. In nearly every historical egyptian building and artefact you can find parts made to fractions or multiples of this cubit

The Desktop Planetarium is a beautiful instrument and showpiece. But it is also a very useful teaching tool. If you are planning on transporting your valuable Planetarium to different venues, it is helpful if you can take it apart and transport it flat.

Only 2 inches small but already an AstroMedia classic, not only for children’s birthday parties. The colourful cardboard ring holds a special spectral film that turns any light source into a fan of breathtaking rainbow colour. Just hold the Twinky close to your eye and look through it.

A world premiere: the first ever fully functional cardboard orrery! It demonstrates the movements of Mercury, Venus, Earth and Moon around the Sun

It was a historic moment when Thomas Alva Edison succeeded in recording his voice in 1877. This Pocket-Phonograph goes back to one of his patents as well

A thin strip with grooves carved into one side is connected to a resonator. The recorded sound can then be played back with the nail of your thumb.

After lots of use the belts of the orrery can become brittle. Sunlight and over-stretching can speed up this process

A spinning top that turns upside-down when spun fast enough!

The Tippe Top was invented by the Munich nurse Helene Sperl at the end of the last century. The centre of gravity of the Tippe Top lies below the centre of the sphere.