What Is This Gadget Called??

Question

It is a small glass spehere on a stand, inside is like a turbine kind of thing, with one side of each part black so as the sun hits it it causes it to spin.

Anybody any idea's?

Answer 1

crookes radiometer

Answer 2

I believe it's called a radiometer.  The "turbine" that you are talking about is inside a vacuum in the glass sphere.  The black fins, or "veins" as they might be called, generate potential energy by absorbing light rays; this energy gets converted into motion, or kinetic energy, causing the turbine to spin.