This issue, Chelsey Cui goes through some of the fascinating facts about East London’s iconic observatory that no other compares to.
The Royal Observatory situated on the south bank of Thames River was founded in 1675. Though now decommissioned, it holds a great deal of historical significance to the development of astronomical observations in Britain. It has been the home to the globally recognized Prime Meridian since 1884.
Photo by: Wikimedia commons
What is the Prime Meridian?
It is the line that marks where East meets West at Longitude 0°. There are many other meridians on Earth and their existences are conducive of efficient astronomical observations worldwide.
How important is the Prime Meridian to our time system?
As recently as the 19th century, most Brits were still living without any agreed universal time system, relying only on the vague concept of local time – meaning every town or village had their own interpretation of how time should be measured. Whereas in modern days, we use meridians, like the Prime Meridian to convert time with ease. The world is hence divided into 24 time zones, including one for the Greenwich Mean Time which sets the reference point. The easter you go from Greenwich meridian, the more ahead you are of the time in the UK and vice versa, which explains why New York is 5 hours behind London and Beijing is 8 hours ahead of London. Thanks to the Prime Meridian, we can track the time of any region on Earth, simply given the longitude of it.
Why is the Prime Meridian located in Greenwich, not somewhere else?
The decision to select Greenwich as the base for the world’s Prime Meridian wasn’t made until the late 19th century. The U.S president at the time – Chester Alan Arthur, along with 40 other representatives from over 25 different countries gathered in Washington D.C in light of the International Meridian Conference to determine the ultimate meridian for global recognition. Greenwich Meridian essentially passed as the international standard for meridians by achieving the vast majority of the votes.
Want to learn more?
The good news is, the Royal Observatory is finally reopening to the public from this month onwards. If you fancy taking a trip there to immerse yourself in the vibrant world of astronomy, grab yourself a ticket on the Royal Observatory website now! Advance booking is recommended due to its popularity. Also, Greenwich is so easy to reach by public transport. Simply make a stop at Cutty Sark DLR station and you’ll find yourself only one stone’s throw away from this historic attraction.
Photo by: Flickr