Eartha

Drivers on Interstate 295 or Route 1 near Yarmouth can see a blue-lit planet hanging behind a wall of glass. Eartha was the brainchild of David DeLorme, creator of the Maine Atlas and Gazetteer, who wanted a model of the Earth as the centrepiece of his company's new headquarters. According to the Maine Secretary of State's Maine Atlas project, DeLorme and his staff designed and engineered it as a 1:1,000,000 replica of Earth, with the planet's axial tilt, built from 792 panels on an aluminium truss about 41 feet across. Two motors tilt and rotate it, simulating one day in 18 minutes. The Portland Press Herald reported in 2023 that it weighs 5,600 pounds and first turned in 1998 after two years of construction. Maine Atlas says Guinness named it the largest revolving globe in the world a year after completion. Down East, in its October 2023 issue, gave the diameter as 42 feet and said David DeLorme's staff of about 200 all had a hand in the project. Maine Atlas says the surface panels are replaced about every ten years, and Garmin bought DeLorme in 2016. In January 2023 the Press Herald reported public viewing from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; in September 2026 it reported that a cafe in the building had closed in July. According to Maine Atlas, the globe can also be seen from Route 1 or Interstate 295.