Chinese history, astronomers have created celestial globes to assist the observation of the stars.
The earliest celestial globe was dated back to 52 BC in the West Han dynasty by the astronomers Geng Shou-chang (耿壽 昌) and Luo-xia Hong (落下 閎). The first water powered celestial globe was created by Zhang Heng in the East Han dynasty.
Then Li Chun-feng (李淳風) of the Tang dynasty created one in 633 AD with three spherical layers to calibrate multiple aspects of astronomical observations.
In 723 AD, Tang dynasty buddhist monk Yi-xing (一行) and government official Liang Ling-zan (梁令瓚) combined Zhang Heng's water powered celestial globe with an escapement device. The result was allegedly the world's first water powered mechanical clock.
The earliest globe, called the "Nürnberg Terrestrial Globe", was made during the years 1490-1492 by German mapmaker Martin Behaim.
A globe is usually mounted at an angle on bearings.
Sometimes a globe has relief, showing topography; in the case of a globe of the Earth the elevations are exaggerated, otherwise they would be hardly visible.
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