Greenwich Observatory, through which zero meridian passes, is already 101 years old is not only a “zero point” of longitude, but also a global time to count time due to the first time signals.
The increase in the value of marine navigation for trade, military operations and geographical discoveries in Europe led to the need to create a single standard of cartography and time. Prior to this, navigation was carried out on the basis of observations of the sun and stars in a particular place. In 1675, Great Britain, trying to establish accurate coordinate systems and counting time, founded the observatory in Greenwich, near London.
In 1833, the temporary signal system was first launched there – the fall of a special ball at a certain time. After 25 years, this signal began to be transmitted through telegraph lines. In 1884, at the International Conference in Washington, representatives of 25 countries recognized the Greenwich observatory at the point of passing the zero meridian, since more than 70% of navigators had already used Greenwich time in navigation.
Signals of the exact time – “six signals”
Today, the Greenwich Observatory, located on the same territory with the Greenwich University and the National Marine Museum, remains an important tourist and scientific center.
After the decision of 1884, Greenwich became a “zero point” not only long -term, but also time. Watch belts are counted from it – for example, in winter, Türkiye uses GMT+3, and New York – GMT -5.
On February 5, 1924, the Observatory took another step towards the exact definition of time, starting to transmit radio signals. The director of the observatory Frank Watson Dyson developed a system of six sound signals: five short in front of each hour and one long, noting the onset of a new hour. These signals were first sounded on the air of BBC on February 5, 1924 and are still used on Radio 4 before the news of the news.
The observatory accepts more than 2 million tourists per year
Today, the Greenwich Observatory is part of the National Marine Museum. She continues scientific research and attracts tourists who want to enjoy London Panorama and take a picture on the line of zero meridian.
More than 2 million people come here annually.