What is A Philosopher Lecturing on the Orrery?
{{italictitle}} {{Infobox artwork | image_file=Wright of Derby, The Orrery.jpg | title=A Philosopher Lecturing on the Orrery | artist=[[Joseph Wright of Derby]] | year=ca. 1766 | medium=Oil on canvas | height_metric=147 | width_metric=203 | height_imperial=58 | width_imperial=80 | metric_unit=cm | imperial_unit=in | museum = [[Derby Museum and Art Gallery]] | city = [[Derby]], England }} '''''A Philosopher Lecturing on the Orrery''''' is an 18th-century [[oil painting]] by [[Joseph Wright of Derby]]. Its full title is '''''A Philosopher giving that Lecture on the Orrery in which a lamp is put in place of the Sun'''''. The painting shows a teacher talking about the sun and planets to his class.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.search.revolutionaryplayers.org.uk/engine/resource/exhibition/standard/child.asp?txtKeywords=&lstContext=&lstResourceType=&lstExhibitionType=&chkPurchaseVisible=&txtDateFrom=&txtDateTo=&x1=&y1=&x2=&y2=&scale=&theme=&album=&resource=5230&viewpage=%2Fengine%2Fresource%2Fexhibition%2Fstandard%2Fdefault%2Easp&originator=&page=&records=&direction=&pointer=&text=&exhibition=1652&offset=0 |title=A Philosopher Lecturing on the Orrery (1764-1766) |accessdate=2007-07-24 |work=Revolutionary Players |archive-date=2011-07-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724091137/http://www.search.revolutionaryplayers.org.uk/engine/resource/exhibition/standard/child.asp?txtKeywords=&lstContext=&lstResourceType=&lstExhibitionType=&chkPurchaseVisible=&txtDateFrom=&txtDateTo=&x1=&y1=&x2=&y2=&scale=&theme=&album=&resource=5230&viewpage=%2Fengine%2Fresource%2Fexhibition%2Fstandard%2Fdefault.asp&originator=&page=&records=&direction=&pointer=&text=&exhibition=1652&offset=0 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Wright later created his similar ''An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump'' ([[National Gallery, London]]) in 1768. Wright's ''The Orrery'', caused a great debate, because in the past, only religious events were used to express [[wikt:awe|awe]]. Wright used science to do so.<ref>Brooke 1991, p. 178</ref> In an age o