| Here is a guide to terms pertaining to antique globes. Click on a word in the list below to see its definition. |
Analemma
Armillary Sphere Cartouche Celestial Globe (Star Globe) Copernican Gores Horizon Band Hour Circle Meridian Orrery Planetaria (Planetary Models) Planisphere Ptolemaic Tellurian (Tellurium) Terrestrial Globe (World Globe) Copyright © 2002-2006 by George D. Glazer. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced in any form or by any means without written permission of the author. |
| Analemma The Figure 8 Shape on Globes | |
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The analemma allows precise calculations of mean time (the time by which we set our clocks) by accounting for the tilt of the earth's axis. It also marks the solstices and equinoxes. Read more in this article from the online Washington Post. Copyright © 2002-2006 by George D. Glazer. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced in any form or by any means without written permission of the author. |
| Armillary Sphere Planetary Model | |
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Armillary spheres have concentric rings to indicate planetary orbits, the zodiac band
of constellations, and terrestrial and celestial measurement circles such as the Tropics
of Cancer and Capricorn and the equator. Sometimes they are mounted with an orrery
inside. Sometimes they are mounted as garden sundials.
Copyright © 2002-2006 by George D. Glazer. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced in any form or by any means without written permission of the author. |
| Cartouche | |
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A cartouche is a decorative emblem on a globe or map, generally containing its title, the name and city of the maker, and sometimes the date or other descriptive information. Copyright © 2002-2006 by George D. Glazer. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced in any form or by any means without written permission of the author. |
| Celestial GlobeStar Globe | |
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A celestial globe (star globe) is a globe of the stars and constellation. They are mapped onto a sphere to show how they appear in the night sky from the earth, as if the earth were in the center of the sphere. Given this point of view, the constellation figures are rendered differently from those on a star map--they are usually reversed and drawn as if we were viewing them from the back, from some imaginary point in the cosmos beyond the earth and stars. Celestial globes are often issued in pairs with terrestrial globes on matching stands. Copyright © 2002-2006 by George D. Glazer. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced in any form or by any means without written permission of the author. |
| Copernican | |
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A map or planetary model showing the earth and planets orbiting the sun, demonstrating the modern theory of the solar system first popularized by Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543). Copyright © 2002-2006 by George D. Glazer. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced in any form or by any means without written permission of the author. |
| Gores | |
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Printed paper map pannels with curved sides tapering to a point at each end, making up the surface of a glob. The gores are designed to make a comlete three-dimensionsl map when cut out and adhered to a sphere. Copyright © 2002-2006 by George D. Glazer. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced in any form or by any means without written permission of the author. |
| Horizon Band | |
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Circular band of printed paper laminated to wood or metal, wrapping around the equatorial area of a globe, and generally containing calendar or zodiacal information. Copyright © 2002-2006 by George D. Glazer. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced in any form or by any means without written permission of the author. |
| Hour Circle | |
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Small, thin metal circle on the top of a globe, divided into 24 segments and imprinted or engraved with the hours of the day and night. By turning it, one can calculate the time difference between various locations on the globe. Copyright © 2002-2006 by George D. Glazer. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced in any form or by any means without written permission of the author. |
| Meridian | |
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Circular or semi-circular band, usually metal, arcing around the globe and passing over, or attached to, the poles. A semi-circular meridian is called a half meridian; a complete circle, a full meridian. Copyright © 2002-2006 by George D. Glazer. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced in any form or by any means without written permission of the author. |
| Orrery | |
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An orrery is a mechanical astronomical demonstration device used to shown the relative
sizes and motions of the known planets in the solar system. It is generally operated
by clockwork gears, and is comprised of spheres on wire armatures representing the
planets (and their moons) that turn at relative representational rates around the
central brass or gilt wood sphere representing the sun, above the stand.
Copyright © 2002-2006 by George D. Glazer. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced in any form or by any means without written permission of the author. |
| PlanetariaPlanetary Models | |
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Planetaria is a general term for three-dimensional models of the solar system or of the earth,
the moon and the sun. The three major types of planetaria are the
Copyright © 2002-2006 by George D. Glazer. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced in any form or by any means without written permission of the author. |
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| Planisphere | |
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A Planisphere is a portable device that shows the stars and constellations visible in the night sky at any given date and time. It consists of a paper or cardboard disk within a folder having an oval cutout. The disk is rotated to match up the hour and minute with the day and month on the outer rim, revealing the visible constellations within the cutout area. Copyright © 2002-2006 by George D. Glazer. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced in any form or by any means without written permission of the author. |
| Ptolemaic | |
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A Ptolemaic map or planetary model shows the earth at the center, surrounded by
the planets and constellations, demonstrating the geocentric theory of the universe
elaborated by the mathematician, astronomer and geographer Ptolemy (Claudius Ptolemaeus,
fl. 127-151 AD) and subsequently modified by others. It was not until the Renaissance that
the Ptolemaic system was supplanted by the Copyright © 2002-2006 by George D. Glazer. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced in any form or by any means without written permission of the author. |
| Tellurian Tellurium | |
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A tellurian (also called tellurium) is a mechanical astronomical demonstration device used
to show seasons, eclipses and other astronomical phenomena relating to these bodies.
It is generally operated by clockwork gears, gears and chains, or string pulleys, and
is comprised of a small terrestrial globe turning at the end of a an arm, spherical
painted wood representations of the moon and the planet Venus, and a central brass or
gilt wood sphere representing the sun above the stand. Often a zodiac scale is affixed to the base. When operated, at relative representational rates, the earth spins once a day and revolves around the sun once a year, the moon revolves around the earth once a month, and Venus revolves around the sun.
Copyright © 2002-2006 by George D. Glazer. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced in any form or by any means without written permission of the author. |
| Terrestrial Globe World Globe | |
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A terrestrial globe (world globe) is a sphere with a map of the earth. Copyright © 2002-2006 by George D. Glazer. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced in any form or by any means without written permission of the author. |
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We also keep an Archive of Sold Globes on our site to assist collectors and researchers.
Glossary of Globe Terminology © 2002-2006 George D. Glazer. No text or images on this or any other page may be reproduced by any means without the written permission of George D. Glazer.