About the Royal Observatory
Contents
- About the Royal Observatory
- The view from the Royal Observatory
- Greenwich Meridian
- John Harrison's Chronometers - the Longitude clocks
- Herschel's Telescope
- More about the Royal Observatory
- Guides to the Observatory
- The official Site
- Visit the Royal Observatory
- Leave your comments
- About the lensmaster
About the Royal Observatory
A brief history of the Royal Observatory
Trees in a Park, Royal Observatory, Greenwich, England, United Kingdom
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It was used as a site of scientific research into the twentieth century. In the early part of the century, the Observatory took on new grounds, and by 1957 the majority of work was off-site. The last scientific department closed in 1990, and in 1998 it became part of the National Maritime Museum.
The view from the Royal Observatory
Overlooking London
Photography is prohibited in the museum, but photographs can be taken outside. Popular subjects are the timeball, the Meridian line and the Observatory itself. One attraction that is often overlooked are the remains of Herschel's giant forty-foot telescope. Sitting on its own behind the observatory on a side path, most crowds simply ignore it to go for the next interactive exhibit, but for anyone interested in astronomy it is a must-see.
View of Royal Naval...
Greenwich Power Stat...
Royal Observatory-Sh...
Gherkin From Royal O...
National Maritime Mu...
Greenwich Meridian
East and West Hemispheres
The Prime meridian of the world from which all world time is calculated and which determines the lines of Longitude, runs through Greenwich.
Not surprisingly, a favourite activity of tourists is to stand with their feet one each side of the meridian line.
More from Wikipedia:
Category: File - :Equator and Prime Meridian.svg|thumb|Nations that touch the equator (red) and the prime meridian (blue)
The Prime Meridian is the meridian (line of longitude) at which the longitude is defined to be 0°. (zero degrees)
The Prime Meridian and its opposite the 180th meridian (at 180° longitude), which the International Date Line generally follows, form a great circle that divides the Earth into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.
Unlike the parallels of latitude, which are defined by the rotational axis of the Earth (the poles being 90° and the equator 0°), the Prime Meridian is arbitrary. By international convention, the modern Prime Meridian passes through the Royal Observatory, Greenwich (at ), in southeast London, United Kingdom, known as the International Meridian or Greenwich Meridian.
Historically, various meridians have been used, including four different ones through Greenwich.
John Harrison's Chronometers - the Longitude clocks
The sea chronometers that solved Longitude
John Harrison's
First Marine Chronometer
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John Harrison's Second
Marine Chronometer
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Harrison's Number 4
Timekeeper
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In one of the darkened galleries, the museum displays John Harrison's famous chronometers. Submitted as his solution to the problem of determining Longitude at sea, the watches have been the property of the museum since they were confiscated by Reverend Maskalyne, then the Astronomer Royal, in an attempt to stop Harrison claiming the prize.
The earlier chronometers are brass and wood devices driven by pendulums. Intricate and self-lubricating, they are kept running even on display. The fourth, H4, appears to be a pocket watch about 5 inches across. It does not run, as running would slowly degrade the mechanism, but this is the device which solved the challenge and proved it was possible to find Longitude at sea.Longitude
John Harrison's watches
The Longitude Challenge was set and administered here in 1714. For the story of Longitude, and John Harrison's fight against the establishment for the Longitude Prize, please see this lens.-
Longitude - John Harrison's chronometers
-
Longitude is a measure of position vital for navigation. In the eighteenth century there was no way to measure it and ships were being lost at sea. Parliament passed an Act setting a prize for anyone who could solve the problem. The problem was solv...
The remains of Herschel's Telescope
Herschel's Telescope
The remains of Herschel's reflector telescope
William Herschel Discovers the Planet Uranus
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The remains of Herschel's telescope are located outside in the courtyard. The discoverer of Uranus constructed a forty foot reflector telescope with a ten foot mirror. The largest telescope of its time, it is believed to have been used to discover two new moons of Saturn.
The main section was destroyed when a tree fell on it, and it was dismantled and moved to the Royal Observatory. Only a short section towards the base remains, but this is enough to note its huge diameter, and the difficulties that must have been inherent in using a manual telescope of that size.
The Georgian Star: How William and Caroline Herschel Revolutionized Our Understanding of the Cosmos (Great Discoveries)
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The timeball drops daily at 1pm
More about the Royal Observatory
The Royal Observatory, Greenwich (formerly the Royal Greenwich Observatory or RGO) was commissioned in 1675 by King Charles II, with the foundation stone being laid on 10 August. The History Channel: This day in history At this time the king also created the position of Astronomer Royal (initially filled by John Flamsteed), to serve as the director of the observatory and to "apply himself with the most exact care and diligence to the rectifying of the tables of the motions of the heavens, and the places of the fixed stars, so as to find out the so much desired longitude of places for the perfecting of the art of navigation." It is situated on a hill in Greenwich Park in Greenwich, London, overlooking the River Thames.
Guides to the Observatory
Guides to Greenwich Observatory are available online
For more information about Royal Observatory, Greenwich, guides are available that can help you plan your visit (or help you decide if you really want to visit). As well as guidebooks, for users who are sight impaired or just prefer audio tours, Way2go offers an MP3 tour.
A Guide to the Royal Observatory, Greenwich
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The official Site
Visit the Royal Observatory
Address
Royal Observatory,
Blackheath Ave,
Greenwich,
London,
Britain
Parking can be difficult to find, but with the Jubilee line and a number of buses serving the area, there really is no need to bring a car. All the main Greenwich attractions are walking distance from the tube stop (appropriately called Cutty Sark) making them easy to get to.
A visit to the Royal Observatory is available on Bukhisa for printing purposes.
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