Can you buy globes of the moon?
by Mark Jeffery, globemaker at goodwoodglobes
Here on Earth, we tend to think of our moon as a grey satellite, subordinate to our blue home planet. But there’s another way of looking at it: the Earth and the moon are two planets in a binary pair, the blue planet merely four times the diameter of the grey one.
We make globes of the blue planet; so why not globes of the grey one? After all, the meteorite-cratered topography of the moon is every bit as fascinating as water-worn topography of the Earth.
Here’s a curated collection of the best lunar globes you can buy from around the world.
Modern Molyneux Apollo lunar globe – The Little Globe Co
This limited edition lunar globe from The Al Worden Collection shows the locations of the six Apollo landing sites as gold dots. The porcelain globe is housed in an intricately etched acrylic frame inspired by a 1592 Molyneux globe. Simply extraordinary.
Prices: on request
MoonGlobes – Planetenkugel Manufaktur
In Mannheim, Germany, Michael Plichta makes lunar globes with raised relief derived from NASA data.
These exceptional 12″ globes are cast from stable artificial plaster in silicone moulds and hand-painted in a dozen shades of grey.
Prices: on request
Pocket Lunar Globe – The Little Globe Co
These fine lunar globes from The Little Globe Co follow the 17th-century tradition of pocket globes. You can order them with an acrylic base or, for the full 17th-century experience, an oak pocket case with a celestial interior.
Prices: £150 – £495 (around $200 – $650)
Moon MOVA Globe
Seen from the Earth, the moon appears not to spin: we always see the same face, the dark side of the moon remaining forever hidden from Earth-bound humans.
Still, MOVA’s spinning globes are so lovely that this seems a peevish quibble. With its NASA imagery, MOVA’s lunar globe is as captivating as their globes of every other planet.
Prices: $160 – $340
Mini Moon globe – Greaves & Thomas
Greaves & Thomas make a simple, stylish miniature moon globe on a wooden stand, designed to appear at the correct scale when placed alongside a 12-inch globe of the Earth.
They point out that for the full scaling effect, the moon globe would have to be placed at a distance of 30 feet from the terrestrial globe!
Price: £50 (around $70)
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