I have been after the Musser Copernican Planetarium for about 15 years. The planetarium was created in 1960 and was introduced in the Seattle World Fair in 1962 and it is a teaching orrey for the classroom —it was only available at the worlds fair for purchase. This is not a toy but rather a sophisticated planetarium designed by Dr. Claire O. Musser and was built by Scientific Space Industries, a division of Hughes Aircraft Company Vacuum Tube Products Division. It is a large piece and the first picture with the phantom head (which is about normal human head size) gives a good size relationship to the piece. It is somewhat similar to a large TV set of this era. It has various settings and light controls. The blacklight setting illuminates the planets in the most amazing way that looks like a window into space. You can control the speed of each planet and the dial corresponds with accurate time (years) and months to the various relationships to the planets. I have a video posted below of the piece in action. Comes with one overlay. You could buy many different overlays for the classroom and this unit typically came with two that are stored in the back—this unit only has one. Everything is in working order (needs a tiny bulb replaced for the sun) and it is quite the centerpiece. Below is technical excerpt from Christies auction describing the piece:

The Musser Copernican Planetarium Model 500,
an unusual electrical orrery, made by Scientific Space Industries OCEANSIDE, CALIFORNIA, in form similar to a large television set, with a circular 17 1/8in. (43.6cm.) diameter perspex viewing screen, behind which is a black and white photographed night sky with numerous stars of various magnitudes, in the centre a bulb with red perspex cover protruding from the screen to represent the sun, on plastic arms from the bulb's support socket are painted planet balls: Mercury (red), Venus (green), Earth (green) with attached Moon ball (orange), Mars (dark orange), Jupiter (orange and yellow) and Saturn (green, with yellow rings), in addition three hemispheres are moulded onto the background and painted yellow and orange to represent Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, in a grey plastic housing, at the base of which are six knobs with the planetary symbols and names which can be turned anti-clockwise to move the planet balls and a counter for the years, in addition there is a scale with index for the months of the year also showing the equinoxes and solstices, further knobs turn on or off White Light, Black Light, the Sun and the Planet Power, with separate clear perspex cover for the viewing screen, the reverse applied with a label for SCIENTIFIC SPACE INDUSTRIES COPERNICUM PLANETARIUM CREATING A NEW WORLD WITH ELECTRONICS HUGHES AIRCRAFT COMPANY VACUUM TUBE PRODUCTS DIVISION OCEANSIDE, CALIFORNIA, serial number 694, the whole housing -- 24 ¼in. (61.6cm.) high…