Earth and Constellation Globe

Earth by day - space by night - two globes in one! In the daylight the 21cm world map shows geographic features. By night the illuminated star map shows 88 constellations. A light sensor automatically turns globe to the illuminated night view when it gets dark. Elegant design. A fascinating tool for geographers and astronomers alike. New and unique globe

A constellation is a group of celestial bodies that are connected together in some arrangement: typically stars to form a visible figure or picture. The term is also traditionally and less formally used to mean any group of stars visibly related to each other, if they are considered as a fixed configuration or pattern in a particular culture. Some well-known constellations contain striking and familiar patterns of bright stars. Examples are Orion (containing a figure of a hunter), Leo (containing bright stars outlining the form of a lion), Scorpius (a scorpion), and Crux (a cross). The astronomical definition of constellation is slightly different. A group of stars that can be connected to form a figure or a picture is called an asterism, while a constellation is an area on the sky. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) divides the sky into 88 official constellations with exact boundaries, so that every direction or place in the sky belongs within one constellation. These are mostly based upon the constellations of the ancient Greek tradition, passed down through the Middle Ages, and contain the signs of the zodiac.