Arabian celestial globe ~ 1279

     The Arabian celestial globe of 1279 is one of the five oldest Islamic globes known. Constructed by Muhammed be mu'aijad al-Ardi of Meragha in Persia, it consists of brass overlaid with gold and silver. Only30.5 cm high with a diameter of 14.4 cm, it illustrates the positions of about one thousand stars arranged into 47 constellations, following ideas of Ptolemy.

Johannes Reinhold and Georg Roll ~ 1586

     Designed by Johannes Reinhold and Georg Roll of Augsburg, the globe clock was made of brass and copper covered with gold leaf. It is 56.5 cm high with a diameter of 20.5 cm. It contains a small terrestrial sphere below a large celestial sphere, all crowned by a small armillary sphere and surrounded by a movable calendar ring. The celestial sphere depicts 49 constellations.

Jan Hevelius 1611-1687

     Jan Hevelius discovered four comets, founded modern selenography and and compiled a star atlas among other accomplishments. The constellation map on the stamp is from his atlas.

Edmond Halley  1656-1742

     In 1677-1678 Edmond Halley sailed to St. Helena in the South Atlantic and prepared a catalog and planishere of the southern heavens.

Erhard Weigel ~ 1690

The heraldic celestial globe is 59cm high with a diamer to 27.5 cm, and is made of brass covered with copper foil. It contains a system of rings representing the equator, a meridian, the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, and other circles. Replacing the ususal Ptolemaic constellations are the coat-of-arms of Saxony and other heraldic images.