This is a large clear plastic ball formed of two hemispheres fitted together at the ‘equator’. There are pen markings on the plastic, in the form of vertical dashes raised in a line around part of the equator and then up over the top of the ball. There are additional pen lines that run in straight lines over the sphere from two opposing points.
The ball is supported by a plastic stand with three raised sections that support the base of the ball. These are cushioned with circular patches of grey felt. The ball can be rotated at will to sit in any orientation in the support.
Accession Number: 2019.ast.224
Alternative Name:
Primary Materials: Plastic, Textile: Felt.
Markings:
Dimensions (cm): Diameter = 50, Height = 53.
This globe was used for teaching, likely in an astronomical calculation or illustrative context. The pen lines are presumably from the last lesson given on the globe.
Excellent: The globe is in excellent condition. The plastic is clear with only very small marks on the surface. The tape connecting the hemispheres is clear and intact. The felt supports are very slightly worn.
Associated Instruments:
Arbor Scientific Ltd, Port Credit, Ontario
Date of Manufacture: 1970s
This artifact may have been used for teaching at the Department for the Astronomy & Astrophysics or at the David Dunlap Observatory. If the former, it was probably moved at some point to the Observatory for storage. The sphere was kept at the David Dunlap Observatory until 2009. Upon the sale of the Observatory, it was moved to the University of Toronto’s Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics at the St George Campus. In 2017 it was moved to a new storage location in McLennan Physical Laboratories.
Additional Information and References:
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