Skip to main content
celestial globe

celestial globe

8.1
A round model of the sky showing stars and constellations
  • noun
  • /səˈlɛstʃəl ɡloʊb/
  • Specialized
translation icon : globo celeste
  • The clock is a tower topped by an armillary sphere and celestial globe of mechanical and hydraulic engineering, about thirty-five feet high (Fig. 11).

Examples

  • Astronomers use a celestial globe to better understand the night sky and locate various celestial bodies.

  • First, the form of the Earth as a celestial globe had to be understood; second, the laws of modern physics had to be established, especially regarding the force of gravity; third, the age of the Earth had to be rolled back far enough to permit some understanding of the magnitude and frequency of exceptional events; and finally, a robust geophysical explanation of seismicity, volcanism, and the general circulation had to be worked out.

    Academic text (2006)
  • The figures are shown from the rear as on a celestial globe.

    Academic text (1990)
  • His atlas showed the constellation figures from the rear as they would appear on a celestial globe.

    Academic text (1990)
  • The museum displayed a beautifully crafted celestial globe that illustrated the positions of stars and constellations.

  • In her study, she admired an antique celestial globe that represented the star patterns from centuries ago.

Synonyms

globe
vscelestial globe
19 2.1

A round model of the world showing countries and oceans

shows star positions and constellations rather than planetary maps

How Detailed

celestial globe
  • Specialized
8.1
globe
30 1.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

celestial + globe

The meaning is directly and transparently derived from combining 'celestial' (relating to stars and planets) with 'globe' (a spherical model); together they naturally denote a spherical model of the sky. This adjective + noun composition follows standard English compounding patterns and is likely understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

The noun celestial globe comes from early people who studied the stars. They made a round globe painted with the celestial 'stars' and 'constellations' to copy the 'sky'. So it means a round model that shows where the stars are, like a 'map' of the 'sky'.