Have you ever wanted to actually see how Alaska experiences complete days in darkness or daylight? Have you ever wondered why the International Dateline has such significance in the business world? The National Geographic Planet Earth can answer these questions and many more. With the light off the 14" diameter globe shows the political map of the world. When the light is on, it shows the physical features of the world - but that's not all. This unique educational tool also shows day and nighttime for any time, date, and location in the world throughout the four seasons. It can be manually adjusted both forward and backward to see past, present, and future hours of daylight and darkness for easy demonstration and understanding. A pinpoint light shows the actual location of the sun throughout the year. Unique "twilight rings" depict the three zones of dawn and dusk. The superb design and engineering, combined with the expert cartography of National Geographic creates a learning tool that is fun and easy to use. The base is a matte brass finish, and has an overall height of 17 inches. Comes complete with a detailed instruction booklet and Certificate of Authenticity.