A planisphere is a map on which the Earth expresses itself on a plane, to visualize the geography that surrounds us, bringing the culture of various peoples closer together, allowing us to observe distances, and specifying provinces, continents ...
Element of frequent use in the educational and scientific fields
It should be noted that the planisphere turns out to be an element of recurrent use in educational and scientific fields as a result of the precise information it provides us about the location of the various places that make up the earth. For students and scientists it is a certainly relevant resource because it facilitates geographic study and research, respectively.
In school, and more precisely in geography class, it is common for teachers to ask their students to bring a planisphere to be able to locate countries and continents, among other issues.
Now, we can find two types of planispheres, the terrestrial planisphere and the celestial planisphere.
Terrestrial planisphere: cartographic representation based on the earth's surface
The terrestrial planisphere or world map is the type that we know best because it is precisely the most used in school education. It consists of a cartographic representation based on the surface of the earth. To scale a projection of the terrestrial sphere appears reproduced on a plane.
Meanwhile, the planispheres can show the political division of the planet and then show us the territorial borders of the countries, the location of the continents, among others.
On the other hand, they can focus on displaying physical details, such as geographical features of the type: rivers, mountains, seas, islands, mountain ranges, glaciers, among others.
There are other planispheres that pose and show more specific questions about our planet, such as geological (materials that make up the earth both internally and externally) or topographic, such as the particularities that a terrain has.
Celestial planisphere: a star chart that flatly represents the constellations and stars
And the celestial planisphere is a star chart that represents the constellations and stars in a flat way and therefore allows their recognition. It is made up of two adjustable discs that rotate on a common pivot. According to the adjustment that is made, it will allow us to appreciate the stars that there is a certain moment.
The astrolabe is the immediate antecedent of this type of planisphere. Conveniently, the astrolabe made it possible to determine the position of the stars and was widely used by navigators, astronomers and scientists.
Complete map of the world
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Photos: iStock - PeopleImages / chokkicx / iArt101
