Royal Observatory

I could rave about the Royal Observatory for a very long time. It is famous for being the spot from which longitude is measured. There is a fascinating history behind how and why this all came about. The Royal Observatory does a great job of explaining how the “longitude problem” was solved, and the importance of doing so.

I took Mrs. viii with me here once. She claims to not like museums, and doesn’t always take an interest in scientific stuff. However, she absolutely loved this place. She said that it was one of her favorite things to see in the London area.

When I was a tot, I remember standing with my feet planted on either side of the Prime Meridian line, and feeling….nothing. I was hugely disappointed – I’d imagined feeling some kind of magical effect or pull from straddling 2 halves of the world.

The Royal Observatory is the point of reference for the prime meridian of the world, at longitude 0°0’0”, and defines Greenwich Mean Time. The museum has on show the famous Harrison Clocks, that were built by John Harrison to solve the longitude problem.