Celestial and terrestrial globes - Celestial globe - 1950-1960

Traditional constellation and zodiac figures according to classical mythology are depicted on this celestial globe as light blue outline figures against a dark blue night sky. The first through fifth magnitude stars of the constellations are colored yellow and shown in graduated size according to brightness, with star clusters and nebulae also indicated. The globe is surmounted by a clear hour ring, rotating in a chromed metal (“gyromatic”) stand with a domed round base. The calibrated full meridian and full zodiac band — the latter with applied decal zodiac names and figures — independently rotate 360 degrees on a U-form bracket that is attached to the base.

The globe was developed by astronomer Oliver J. Lee (1881-1964) after he had retired from a distinguished career at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Lee received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota and completed his Ph.D at the University of Chicago in 1913. From 1910 to 1926 he was an instructor, assistant astronomer and lecturer at Yerkes Observatory in Wisconsin. He came to Northwestern in 1928, becoming the Astronomy Department Chair the following year, and serving as director of the campus’ Dearborn Observatory from 1931 until he retired in 1947. Lee’s scholarly work was published in the major astronomical journals and included discoveries of stellar parallaxes and solar eclipses, studies of the planetoid Eros, and the major achievement of classifying and charting 44,000 stars of the faint-red type in the northern hemisphere. He was a fellow of the American Association for Advancement of Science and the Royal Astronomical Society in London. In 1949, he wrote the popular book on astronomy, Measuring Our Universe. After retirement, he moved to Santa Cruz, California, but continued to teach and write until his death in 1964. Today the Northwestern University Archives house his papers.

Good condition
Celestial globes have been the means by which astronomers charted the heavens since ancient times. The first recorded solar eclipse was made by the Chinese in 2136 BC. Chinese observatories were built which date back hundreds of years prior to that. The oldest surviving celestial globe (1144 AD) is from the Islamic world and is currently in the Louvre. Today, we have iPad apps like Vito Technolog's Star Walk and Emerald Sequoia's Observatory to give us precise positions of all the heavenly bodies. Still, there is nothing like a celestial globe to give one the overall perspective of the heavens. This very mod 1960’s celestial schoold globe by Rand McNally gives visual reference to aid the astronomer' conception of Earth in space in a very retro style. View the celestial skies, constellations and zodiacs in a 3D format! The 12 diameter celestial Globe is mounted in a full horizon and meridian base, gimbal style with chrome finish. A deep blue represents the night sky as golden stars and light teal blue outlines present the heavens constellations, zodiacs and more. The meridian may be tilted to adjust the globe for latitude while the horizon ring indicates the actual horizon in relation to the point of observation on Earth. Reviewing and identifying celestial spheres can be challenging as one must think of himself standing in the center of the orb, looking up at the night sky. The mid century chrome gimbal mount and retro styled base complement the deep blue of the globe, making it quite an attractive piece. The sphere had been a functional educational tool and does display two barely visible repairs. Please see photos