History of giant spheres
Joshua Foer, Kircher Society blogger, prepared an interesting article for Cabinet Magazine surveying notable moments in the history of giant spheres. The spheres he showcases range from a sculptural fountain to a giant ball of twine to the Bathysphere, a submersible in the form of a 4.75-foot steel ball. Seen here is the Gottorp Globe, a 17th century planetarium.
From Foer's article, titled "A Minor History of Giant Spheres":
Previously on BB:
• Foer's History of miniature writing Link
From Foer's article, titled "A Minor History of Giant Spheres":
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The Gottorp Globe, the world’s first modern planetarium, is completed in Germany. The hollow sphere, ten feet in diameter, is turned by water power; it has a map of the constellations on the interior and a map of the world on the outside. In 1714, it is given as a gift to Peter the Great but is destroyed by fire in 1747. The reconstructed globe, stolen by the Germans in World War II and recovered by US troops, now resides at the St. Petersburg Kunstkammer.
Previously on BB:
• Foer's History of miniature writing Link
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The Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum in Chicago salvaged a similar sphere to the Gottorp Globe, dating back to 1913.
I believe the original made a brief appearance during Princess Caroline's birthday party in Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle Volume 2: The Confusion.
The Adler Planetarium's sphere is known as the Atwood Sphere, and was used to train U.S. military pilots in nighttime navigation techniques.
There used to be good photos on the Adler's website, but apparently they're no longer there...
am i the only one here reminded of noglobes from dune?
Note that the Gottorp globe has been rebuilt in 2005 on location in Germany and is open to visitors at a price around 6 Euro/ticket.
Link to the homepage (in German, with globe photo)
http://www.schloss-gottorf.de/gh/index.php