Starship Earth - 3D Star Atlas
Not everyone can be like former 'N Sync definition of awesome, Lance Bass, and make a very public, failed attempt to ride in the space shuttle, but everyone (well, everyone with $500 to $1,600) can gaze at the stars from the comfort of their MMA Throwdown Bed with the Starship Earth, a 3D star atlas for those without telescopes and feats of aeronautical engineering. Available in 16" and 30" globes, the featured Starship is numero II, an upgraded version that depicts improved data from Sky Catalogue 2000.0, including all 88 constellations, more than 1,100 stars visible to the naked eye, and a multitude of prominent deep-sky objects. All are set against a precision grid of Right Ascension and Declination lines.
Starship Earth atlas stars all have identifications by name, Greek letter designations, brightness (from first to fifth magnitude), and distance from the earth in light years. Settings also allow for the reproduction of Earth, Sun, and star movements for any time, date, and location in the world. Both a design and aesthetic conversation piece, and nifty learning tool, the globes will help users understand more about how the sun rises and sets, how the seasons change, and what the hell people are talking about when they look at the sky and start spouting off the names of Greek gods.
Starship Earths, made of museum-quality acrylic, undergo hand silk-screening on the sphere's interior surface for preservation from wear. Purchases include both acrylic desktop and tripod floor stands, as well as a 48-page instruction manual and a Certificate if Authenticity signed and dated by the craftsman who made the model.