Celestial miniature globe

Celestial miniature globe. It forms a pair with the terrestrial globe, Senex GLB0034. Astronomical details on the sphere are the same as Price and Senex GLB0013. There is a labelled magnitude table in front of Ursa Major, and 22 stars and three star groups are named. The 48 Ptolemaic constellations and two of the non-Ptolemaic constellations are drawn. There are two of the southern constellations, as well as those of Plancius and one of Hevelius.

The gores of the Senex 70 mm (2.75 in) celestial globe are identical to those of the pocket globe first issued by Price and Senex as partners. Senex had new gores for his terrestrial globe, using the terrestrial pocket globe he produced with Price only as an example. This copy must be a later edition, because other recorded copies have California depicted as an island and do not include Anson's track. These two revisions are often incorrectly assumed to have been introduced by George Adams, who acquired the copper plates in circa 1756, but the present globe demonstrates that they were made by Senex. The later editions by Adams can be distinguished from the present one because they show in addition, a hypothetical eastern coast of Australia - see Adams GLB0014 and GLB0052. For full details about the cartography and construction of this globe please refer to the related publication.

Object Details

ID: GLB0035
Collection: Astronomical and navigational instruments; Charts and maps
Type: Miniature globe
Display location: Not on display
Creator: Senex, John; Senex, Mary
Date made: circa 1750
People: Petrus Plancius, Petrus
Credit: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, Caird Collection
Measurements: Overall: 155 x 115 mm; Diameter of sphere: 70 mm