Can you buy globes of the moon and the planets, the city and the stars?
by Mark Jeffery, globemaker at goodwoodglobes
When we think of globes, we think of the Earth. Some globemakers, however, have thought beyond our own planet, making globes of the moon, the planets and the stars. Others have focused on particular parts of the Earth’s surface, making globes of individual cities, islands and countries, or focusing on the oceans rather than the continents. Still others have looked back to prehistoric times, tracing coastlines as they appeared millions of years ago.
Here’s our guide to best lunar, planetary, celestial, city, island, oceanic and prehistoric globes you can buy from globemakers and globesellers around the world.
Lunar Globes
Lunar globes show the surface of the moon, with its ancient craters and seas.
Planetary Globes
Earth is not the only planet to have captured globemakers’ attention. You can buy globes of every other planet in the solar system: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus.
Celestial Globes
Celestial globes show the stars as seen from Earth, traditionally illustrated with the 48 classical Greek constellations.
City Globes
We’re used to seeing maps of our cities on flat sheets of paper or screens. Some globemakers, however, have sought to wrap city maps around the surface of a sphere.
Island Globes
Rather than stop at cities, some globemakers have wrapped maps of entire islands around the surface of a sphere.
Oceanic Globes
Have you ever noticed that most globes focus on the land, leaving the oceans blank? Oceanic globes flip this around, concentrating on ocean currents and topography.
Prehistoric Globes
Globes tend to show the way the world is now. It’s easy to forget that the continents and oceans weren’t always the same shape or the same position as they are these days. Prehistoric globes show them as they were thousands or millions of years ago.
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