Celestial collapsible globe

Celestial collapsible globe consisting of 6 gores. Only the principle stars are shown and they are connected by dotted lines. There is a magnitude table, which is labelled 'Estrellas'. The Milky Way is labelled. 20 stars and six star groups are named. The 48 Ptolemaic constellations and four of the non-Ptolemaic constellations are drawn. Ten of the twelve southern constellations of Plancius are drawn as well as five of Hevelius and one of Lacaille. The map itself is geocentric but the signs of the zodiac are ordered in globe view or external. The use of geographical co-ordinates east and west on the celestial globe, as well as the incorrect ordering of the signs of the zodiac along the ecliptic, shows that the maker was not familiar with the most basic astronomical concepts involved in the construction of celestial globes.

Object Details

ID: GLB0235.2
Type: Collapsible globes and orrery set
Display location: Not on display
Creator: Lopez, Pedro Martin de
Date made: circa 1850
Credit: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London
Measurements: : 168 x 78 mm
Parts: Terrestrial and celestial collapsible globes and orrery set (Collapsible globes and orrery set)
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