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All the United States Maine Yarmouth Eartha

Eartha

The world's largest rotating world.

Yarmouth, Maine

Added By
Michelle Enemark
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CAPTION
Eartha. Europe Africa Asia   Julio Torres / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
Eartha Americas   Julio Torres / Atlas Obscura User
Eartha: still turning   davym195 / Atlas Obscura User
Eartha   grmergirl / Atlas Obscura User
From the balcony   m00ndanced / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
Eartha   Michelle Enemark
Eartha   Michelle Enemark
Eartha   Michelle Enemark
Eartha   Michelle Enemark
Eartha   Michelle Enemark
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
Eartha   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Taken in 2013, when there was still the map store.   donnatalarico / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Were you to drive on Maine's Interstate 295 through Yarmouth, it would be next to impossible to miss Eartha.

Eartha, housed in a three-story glass gallery at the former DeLorme Headquarters (they were acquired by Garmin in 2016), is the world's largest rotating/revolving globe. Eartha was designed by CEO David DeLorme and successfully completed two years later in 1998. It won its Guinness Book record the next year, outshining the previous record holders in both Italy and Massachusetts.

Just over 41 feet in diameter, the enormous structure was designed as a scale model. At the scale of 1:1,000,000, or approximately one inch equaling 16 miles, California is a mere three and a half feet tall on Eartha.

Eartha is tilted at 23.5 degrees, just like Earth, and is rotated about that axis by an electric motor. Simultaneously, a second motor swivels the entire tilted, rotating globe around the attachment point to the floor, together giving a approximation of Earth's own simultaneous day-night and annual cycles. It takes about 18 minutes for Eartha to complete a cycle.

Off to the side of Eartha on the ground floor is a display about geocaching, including a large collection of geocoins.

Related Tags

Small Worlds And Model Towns Astounding Timepieces Instruments Of Science Marvelous Maps And Measures

Know Before You Go

While the map store that housed Eartha is now closed, the sales agreement allows the globe to keep rotating.

The building is open for public access till 3 pm.

Community Contributors

Added By

michelle

Edited By

Martin, katiekornacki, loquepaso, atlasobsura 1a2077ff...

  • Martin
  • katiekornacki
  • loquepaso
  • atlasobsura 1a2077ff
  • Meg
  • Collector of Experiences
  • davym195
  • m00ndanced
  • donnatalarico
  • Julio Torres
  • blimpcaptain
  • Andrew MacLean
  • grmergirl

Published

July 5, 2012

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Sources
  • http://www.pressherald.com/2016/02/27/fans-mourn-closing-of-delormes-map-store/
  • https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/10408
  • https://www.pressherald.com/2016/02/27/fans-mourn-closing-of-delormes-map-store/
Eartha
2 DeLorme Drive
Yarmouth, Maine, 04096
United States
43.807937, -70.163985
Get Directions

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