The 12-Inch Solar Cycle Lighted Globe

This is the 12" diameter desktop globe featuring expert cartography from the National Geographic Society and which has an internal light system that shows the solar terminator dividing night and day at any time, date, and location throughout the four seasons. When the light is off, the globe depicts a political map of the world, but at the flick of a switch, the physical features of the globe are revealed and one hemisphere is shaded representing the portion of the world that lies in darkness. Rotating the globe in either direction allows you to determine past, present, and future hours of daylight and darkness, while three unique twilight bands depict the zones of dawn, dusk, and the twilight before sunrise and just after sunset. The equator ring has markings for the 24-hour day, while the base axis has indicators to find a particular day of the year. By turning the base axis, the globe can be set to any day of the year. By turning the globe (a complete turn represents the passage of 24 hours), the hour of the day relative to the Earths meridians can be determined. Once both factors are aligned, the position of day-side and night-side will be shown based on the day and time selected. On the illuminated side of the globe a pinpoint glow of light shows the point on the Earth where the suns rays most directly hit the surface, representing the exact point where an object will cast no shadow at exactly 12 noon. Comes with a detailed instruction booklet, including how to read Central European Time, as well as a certificate of authenticity. Uses a standard 40 or 60 watt bulb (one bulb is already installed). 15" H x 12" Diam.