Globes

A globe is a three-dimensional scale model of Earth (terrestrial globe) or other spheroid celestial body such as a planet, star, or moon. more...

Home
Bath
Bedding
Furniture
Gardening & Plants
Home Decor
Afghans, Throws
Baskets
Bookends
Bottles
Boxes, Jars & Tins
Candles, Candle Holders
Children's Decor
Clocks
Decorative Fruit
Decorative Plates, Bowls
Door Accessories
Fireplace Accessories
Floral Décor
Fountains
Globes
Holiday, Seasonal Decor
Home Fragrances
Mirrors
Other Home Décor
Photo Frame & Display
Pillows
Plaques & Signs
Racks, Stands, Hooks
Screens, Room Dividers
Sculptures, Figures
Slipcovers
Suncatchers
Vases
Wall Décor
Wallpaper
Lamps, Lighting, Ceiling...
Patio & Grilling
Pools & Spas
Rugs & Carpets

It may also (celestial globe) refer to a spherical representation of the celestial sphere, showing the apparent positions of the stars in the sky.

The word "globe" comes from the Latin word globus, meaning round mass or sphere.

Terrestrial and planetary globes

A globe is the only geographical representation that has negligible distortion over large areas; all flat maps are created using a map projection that inevitably introduces an increasing amount distortion the larger the area that the map shows. A typical scale for a terrestrial globe is roughly 1:40 million.

Sometimes a globe has relief, showing topography; in the case of a globe of the Earth the elevations are exaggerated, otherwise they would be hardly visible. Most modern globes are also imprinted with parallels and meridians so that one can (if only approximately due to scale) tell where a specific point on the surface of the planet is located.

Celestial globes

See also: Armillary sphere

Celestial globes show the apparent positions of the stars in the sky. They omit the Sun, Moon and planets because the positions of these bodies vary relative to those of the stars, but the ecliptic, along which the Sun moves, is indicated.

A potential issue arises regarding the "handedness" of celestial globes. If the globe is constructed so that the stars are in the positions they actually occupy on the imaginary celestial sphere, then the star field will appear back-to-front on the surface of the globe (all the constellations will appear as their mirror images). This is because the view from Earth, positioned at the centre of the celestial sphere, is of the inside of the celestial sphere, whereas the celestial globe is viewed from the outside. For this reason, celestial globes may be produced in mirror image, so that at least the constellations appear the "right way round". Some modern celestial globes address this problem by making the surface of the globe transparent. The stars can then be placed in their proper positions and viewed through the globe, so that the view is of the inside of the celestial sphere, as it is from Earth.

History

The earliest known globe was constructed by the scholar Crates of Mallus in Cilicia (now Çukurova in modern-day Turkey) around 150 BC. An ancient celestial globe that still exists was made about 150 AD as part of a sculpture, called the Farnese Atlas, in the Naples Museum, Naples, Italy. The first globe of the Old World was constructed in the Muslim world during the Middle Ages. The oldest existing terrestrial globe was made by Martin Behaim in Nürnberg, Germany, in 1474. A facsimile globe showing America was made by Martin Waldseemueller in 1507.

Read more at Wikipedia.org