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Coordinates: 51°28′40″N 0°00′05″W / 51.47783°N 0.00139°W / 51.47783; -0.00139
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After the Second World War, in 1947, the decision was made to move to [[Herstmonceux Castle]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.royalobservatorygreenwich.org/articles.php?article=5 |title=The Herstmonceux years... 1948–1990 |website=The Royal Observatory Greenwich|accessdate= 3 May 2017}}</ref> and 320 adjacent acres (1.3&nbsp;km²), 70&nbsp;km south-southeast of Greenwich near [[Hailsham]] in East Sussex, due to [[light pollution]] in London. The Observatory was officially known as The Royal Greenwich Observatory, Herstmonceux. Although the [[Astronomer Royal]] [[Harold Spencer Jones]] moved to the castle in 1948, the scientific staff did not move until the observatory buildings were completed, in 1957. Shortly thereafter, other previously dispersed departments were reintegrated at Herstmonceux.
After the Second World War, in 1947, the decision was made to move to [[Herstmonceux Castle]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.royalobservatorygreenwich.org/articles.php?article=5 |title=The Herstmonceux years... 1948–1990 |website=The Royal Observatory Greenwich|accessdate= 3 May 2017}}</ref> and 320 adjacent acres (1.3&nbsp;km²), 70&nbsp;km south-southeast of Greenwich near [[Hailsham]] in East Sussex, due to [[light pollution]] in London. The Observatory was officially known as The Royal Greenwich Observatory, Herstmonceux. Although the [[Astronomer Royal]] [[Harold Spencer Jones]] moved to the castle in 1948, the scientific staff did not move until the observatory buildings were completed, in 1957. Shortly thereafter, other previously dispersed departments were reintegrated at Herstmonceux.


Things that moved to Herstmonceux include the Nautical Almanac Office, Chronometer Department, the library, and observing eqipment.<ref name=":5" />
⚫
The largest telescope at Greenwich for a score and one, the 36-inch reflector the Yapp telescope, was moved out to Herstmonceux in 1958.<ref>[https://www.the-observatory.org/dome-b]</ref> There it was reconstructed in Dome B of the facility.<ref>[https://www.the-observatory.org/dome-b]</ref> There is it was used for astronomy in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. It was left behind at Herstmonceux in 1990 in its dome when the organization moved once again.<reF>[https://books.google.com/books?id=p_JUCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA214&lpg=PA214&dq=yapp+moved+to+herstmonceux&source=bl&ots=wdYZtnuBaU&sig=ACfU3U0v-oSaCG-RDwCnMI14KScJfbjD5g&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiXr9OPod3lAhUBQq0KHZbaDh0Q6AEwBnoECAgQAQ#v=onepage&q=yapp%20moved%20to%20herstmonceux&f=false]</ref>

⚫
The largest telescope at Greenwich for a score and one, the 36-inch reflector the [[Yapp telescope]], was moved out to Herstmonceux in 1958.<ref>[https://www.the-observatory.org/dome-b]</ref> There it was reconstructed in Dome B of the facility.<ref>[https://www.the-observatory.org/dome-b]</ref> There is it was used for astronomy in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. It was left behind at Herstmonceux in 1990 in its dome when the organization moved once again.<ref name=":5">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p_JUCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA214&lpg=PA214&dq=yapp+moved+to+herstmonceux&source=bl&ots=wdYZtnuBaU&sig=ACfU3U0v-oSaCG-RDwCnMI14KScJfbjD5g&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiXr9OPod3lAhUBQq0KHZbaDh0Q6AEwBnoECAgQAQ#v=onepage&q=yapp%20moved%20to%20herstmonceux&f=false|title=General Theory of Light Propagation and Imaging Through the Atmosphere|last=McKechnie|first=T. Stewart|date=2015-08-05|publisher=Springer|isbn=9783319182094|language=en}}</ref>

The tricentennial of Isaac Newton had passed during the second world war, delaying any festivies. One of the ground-swells was to be build the 'big better' telesopce in honour of the celebrated inventor of the newtonian reflecting telescope. After some two decades of development lead to the commissioning of the Issac Newton Telescope. It proved so successful that the weather was felt to be a bottleneck to its productivity, and plans were made to get to a higher, sunnier spot.

On December 1, 1967, the ''Isaac Newton Telescope'' of the Royal Greenwich Observatory at Herstmonceux was inaugurated (dedicated) by Queen Elizabeth II.<ref name=":4" />


The [[Isaac Newton Telescope]] was built at Herstmonceux in 1967, but was moved to [[Roque de los Muchachos Observatory]] in Spain's [[Canary Islands]] in 1979. In 1990 the RGO moved again, to [[Cambridge]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/deptserv/manuscripts/RGO_history/|title=A Personal History Of The Royal Greenwich Observatory at Herstmonceux Castle, 1948–1990 by G.A. Wilkins}}</ref> Following a decision of the [[Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council]], it closed in 1998. [[Her Majesty's Nautical Almanac Office]] was transferred to the [[Rutherford Appleton Laboratory]], on the [[Harwell Science and Innovation Campus]], [[Chilton, Oxfordshire|Chilton]], [[Oxfordshire]] after the closure. Other work went to the [[UK Astronomy Technology Centre]] in Edinburgh. The castle grounds became the home of the International Study Centre of [[Queen's University, Kingston|Queen's University, Kingston, Canada]] and The Observatory Science Centre,<ref>[http://www.the-observatory.org/ the-observatory.org]</ref> which is operated by an educational charity Science Project.
The [[Isaac Newton Telescope]] was built at Herstmonceux in 1967, but was moved to [[Roque de los Muchachos Observatory]] in Spain's [[Canary Islands]] in 1979. In 1990 the RGO moved again, to [[Cambridge]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/deptserv/manuscripts/RGO_history/|title=A Personal History Of The Royal Greenwich Observatory at Herstmonceux Castle, 1948–1990 by G.A. Wilkins}}</ref> Following a decision of the [[Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council]], it closed in 1998. [[Her Majesty's Nautical Almanac Office]] was transferred to the [[Rutherford Appleton Laboratory]], on the [[Harwell Science and Innovation Campus]], [[Chilton, Oxfordshire|Chilton]], [[Oxfordshire]] after the closure. Other work went to the [[UK Astronomy Technology Centre]] in Edinburgh. The castle grounds became the home of the International Study Centre of [[Queen's University, Kingston|Queen's University, Kingston, Canada]] and The Observatory Science Centre,<ref>[http://www.the-observatory.org/ the-observatory.org]</ref> which is operated by an educational charity Science Project.

Revision as of 13:57, 9 November 2019

"RGO" redirects here. For other uses, see RGO (disambiguation).

Royal Observatory
Royal Observatory, Greenwich. A time ball sits atop the Octagon Room.
Alternative namesRoyal Greenwich Observatory Edit this at Wikidata
Observatory code 000 Edit this on Wikidata
LocationGreenwich, Royal Borough of Greenwich, Greenwich, United Kingdom Edit this at Wikidata
Coordinates51°28′40″N 0°00′05″W / 51.47783°N 0.00139°W / 51.47783; -0.00139
Altitude68 m (223 ft) Edit this at Wikidata
Established1675 Edit this on Wikidata
Websitewww.rmg.co.uk/royal-observatory/ Edit this at Wikidata
Telescopes
  • Altazimuth Pavilion At The Royal Observatory Edit this on Wikidata
Royal Observatory, Greenwich is located in the United Kingdom
Royal Observatory, Greenwich
Location of Royal Observatory, Greenwich
  Related media on Commons
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Flamsteed House in 1824
Royal Observatory, Greenwich c. 1902 as depicted on a postcard
Entrance to the Great Equatorial building

The Royal Observatory, Greenwich (ROG;[1] known as the Old Royal Observatory from 1957 to 1998, when the working Royal Greenwich Observatory, RGO, moved from Greenwich to Herstmonceux) is an observatory situated on a hill in Greenwich Park, overlooking the River Thames. It played a major role in the history of astronomy and navigation, and is best known for the fact that the prime meridian passes through it, and thereby gave its name to Greenwich Mean Time. The ROG has the IAU observatory code of 000, the first in the list.[2] ROG, the National Maritime Museum, the Queen's House and Cutty Sark are collectively designated Royal Museums Greenwich.[1]

The observatory was commissioned in 1675 by King Charles II, with the foundation stone being laid on 10 August. The site was chosen by Sir Christopher Wren.[3] At that time the king also created the position of Astronomer Royal, 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." He appointed John Flamsteed as the first Astronomer Royal. The building was completed in the summer of 1676.[4] The building was often called "Flamsteed House", in reference to its first occupant.

The scientific work of the observatory was relocated elsewhere in stages in the first half of the 20th century, and the Greenwich site is now maintained almost exclusively as a museum, although the AMAT telescope became operational for astronomical research in 2018.

History

Chronology

  • 1675 – 22 June, Royal Observatory founded.
  • 1675 – 10 August, construction began.
  • 1714 Longitude Act established the Board of Longitude and Longitude rewards. The Astronomer Royal was, until the Board was dissolved in 1828, always an ex officio Commissioner of Longitude.
  • 1767 Astronomer Royal Nevil Maskelyne began publication of the Nautical Almanac, based on observations made at the Observatory.
  • 1818 Oversight of the Royal Observatory was transferred from the Board of Ordnance to the Board of Admiralty; at that time the observatory was charged with maintaining the Royal Navy's Marine chronometers.
  • 1833 Daily time signals began, marked by dropping a Time ball.
  • 1838 – Sheepshanks equatorial, a 6.7 inch (170 mm) aperture refracting telescope installed.[5]
  • 1893 – The 28-inch Great refractor installed.[6]
  • 1899 The New Physical Observatory (now known as the South Building) was completed.
  • 1924 Hourly time signals (Greenwich Time Signal) from the Royal Observatory were first broadcast on 5 February.
  • 1931 Yapp telescope ordered
  • 1948 Office of the Astronomer Royal was moved to Herstmonceux.
  • 1957 Royal Observatory completed its move to Herstmonceux, becoming the Royal Greenwich Observatory (RGO). The Greenwich site is renamed the Old Royal Observatory.
  • 1990 RGO moved to Cambridge.
  • 1998 RGO closed. Greenwich site is returned to its original name, the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, and is made part of the National Maritime Museum.
  • 2011 The Greenwich museums, including the ROG, become collectively the Royal Museums Greenwich.

Site

Greenwich Observatory (Latinized as "Observatorium Anglicanum Hoc Grenovici prope Londinum"), as illustrated in Doppelmayr's map of the southern celestial hemisphere, ca. 1730

There had been significant buildings on this land since the reign of William I.[7] Greenwich Palace, on the site of the present-day Maritime Museum, was the birthplace of both Henry VIII and his daughters Mary I and Elizabeth I; the Tudors used Greenwich Castle, which stood on the hilltop that the Observatory presently occupies, as a hunting lodge. Greenwich Castle was reportedly a favourite place for Henry VIII to house his mistresses, so that he could easily travel from the Palace to see them.[8]

In 1676 Flamsteed's house on Greenwich hill was completed, the Royal astronomer's place of operation.[9]

Establishment

Laser projected from the observatory marking the Prime Meridian line
Laser at night

The establishment of a Royal Observatory was proposed in 1674 by Sir Jonas Moore who, in his role as Surveyor-General of the Ordnance, persuaded King Charles II to create the observatory, with John Flamsteed installed as its director.[10] The Ordnance Office was given responsibility for building the Observatory, with Moore providing the key instruments and equipment for the observatory at his own personal cost. Flamsteed House, the original part of the Observatory, was designed by Sir Christopher Wren, probably assisted by Robert Hooke, and was the first purpose-built scientific research facility in Britain. It was built for a cost of £520 (£20 over budget) out of largely recycled materials on the foundations of Duke Humphrey's Tower, the forerunner of Greenwich Castle, which resulted in the alignment being 13 degrees away from true North, somewhat to Flamsteed's chagrin.

Moore donated two clocks, built by Thomas Tompion, which were installed in the 20 foot high Octagon Room, the principal room of the building. They were of unusual design, each with a pendulum 13 feet (3.96 metres) in length mounted above the clock face, giving a period of four seconds and an accuracy, then unparalleled, of seven seconds per day.

The original observatory housed the astronomer royal, his assistant and his family as well as the scientific instruments to be used by Flamsteed in his work on stellar tables. Over time the institution became a more established institution, thanks to its links to long-lasting government boards (the Board of Ordnance and Board of Longitude) and oversight by a Board of Visitors, founded in 1710 and made up of the President and Members of the council of the Royal Society.[11] By the later 18th century it incorporated additional responsibilities such as publishing the Nautical Almanac, advising government on technical matters, disseminating time, making meteorological and magnetic observations and undertaking astrophotography and spectroscopy. The physical site[12] and the numbers of staff[13] increased over time as a result.

Greenwich Meridian

Main article: Greenwich Meridian
The 24-hour Shepherd Gate Clock
Telescope and tree
Royal Observatory, Greenwich
One of the hyper-accurate timekeepers at the observatory

British astronomers have long used the Royal Observatory as a basis for measurement. Four separate meridians have passed through the buildings, defined by successive instruments.[14] The basis of longitude, the meridian that passes through the Airy transit circle, first used in 1851, was adopted as the world's Prime Meridian at the International Meridian Conference on 22 October 1884 (voting took place on 13 October).[15] Subsequently, nations across the world used it as their standard for mapping and timekeeping. The Prime Meridian was marked by a brass (later replaced by stainless steel) strip in the Observatory's courtyard once the buildings became a museum in 1960, and, since 16 December 1999, has been marked by a powerful green laser shining north across the London night sky.

Since the first triangulation of Great Britain in the period 1783–1853, Ordnance Survey maps have been based on an earlier version of the Greenwich meridian, defined by the transit instrument of James Bradley. When the Airy circle (5.79 m to the east) became the reference for the meridian, the difference resulting from the change was considered small enough to be neglected. When a new triangulation was done between 1936 and 1962, scientists determined that in the Ordnance Survey system the longitude of the international Greenwich meridian was not 0° but 0°00'00.417" (about 8 m) East.[16] Besides the change of the reference line, imperfections of the surveying system added another discrepancy to the definition of the origin, so that the Bradley line itself is now 0°00'00.12" East of the Ordnance Survey Zero Meridian (about 2.3m).[17]

This old astronomical prime meridian has been replaced by a more precise prime meridian. When Greenwich was an active observatory, geographical coordinates were referred to a local oblate spheroid called a datum known as a geoid, whose surface closely matched local mean sea level. Several datums were in use around the world, all using different spheroids, because mean sea level undulates by as much as 100 metres worldwide. Modern geodetic reference systems, such as the World Geodetic System and the International Terrestrial Reference Frame, use a single oblate spheroid, fixed to the Earth's gravitational centre. The shift from several local spheroids to one worldwide spheroid caused all geographical coordinates to shift by many metres, sometimes as much as several hundred metres. The Prime Meridian of these modern reference systems is 102.5 metres east of the Greenwich astronomical meridian represented by the stainless steel strip, which is now 5.31 arcseconds West. The modern location of the Airy Transit is 51°28′40.1″N 0°0′5.3″W / 51.477806°N 0.001472°W / 51.477806; -0.001472 (Airy Transit)[18]

International time from the end of the 19th century until UT1 was based on Simon Newcomb's equations, giving a mean sun about 0.18 seconds behind UT1 (the equivalent of 2.7 arcseconds) as of 2013; it coincided in 2013 with a meridian halfway between Airy's circle and the IERS origin: 51°28′40.1247″N 0°0′2.61″W / 51.477812417°N 0.0007250°W / 51.477812417; -0.0007250.[19]

Greenwich Mean Time

Main article: Greenwich Mean Time

Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) was until 1954 based on celestial observations made at Greenwich, and later on observations made at other observatories. GMT was formally renamed as Universal Time in 1935, but is still commonly referred to as GMT. It is now calculated from observations of extra-galactic radio sources.

The observatory is noted as the home of the prime meridian and Greenwich mean time.[20]

A key instrument for determining time was the Airy Transit Circle, which was used primarily from 1851 to 1938.[21] It was agreed in 1884 that the "meridian line marked by the cross-hairs in the Airy Transit Circle eyepiece would indicate 0° longitude and the start of the Universal Day" according to RMG.[21] The time is determined by marking the time a star of known location would pass through the aimpoint of the telescope.[21] In a reverse case, this type of instrument was also used for making star charts.[21]

The stars whose position was known precisely enough for being used for time determination, were called "clock stars."[21]

Greenwich Time Ball

The time ball is the red ball on a post, by its movement a certain time is marked. In past times this observation allowed clocks to be set, and the observatory would determine the time by observing the stars and also advanced clocks of the period.

The red time ball of Greenwich was established in 1833, and is noted as a public time signal.[22] The time ball in modern times is normally in a lowered position, then starting at 12:55 PM, the ball begins to rise, then at 12:58 it reaches the top; at 1 PM the ball drops.[23]

To help mariners at the port and others in line of sight of the observatory to synchronise their clocks to GMT, Astronomer Royal John Pond installed a very visible time ball that drops precisely at 1 p.m. (13:00) every day atop the observatory in 1833. Initially it was dropped by an operator; from 1852 it was released automatically via an electric impulse from the Shepherd Master Clock.[24] The ball is still dropped daily at 13:00 (GMT in winter, BST in summer).[25]

The original time ball system was built by Messrs Maudslay and Field, and cost 180 pounds.[26] The five-foot diameter ball was made of wood and leather.[26] In the original ball system, it was hoisted by a rope up from the Octagon room, and there was catch at the top to hold it.[26] This could then be triggered by hand, while observing the time on an astronomical month clock, that was regulated to the mean solar time.[26]

By dropping the ball, the public, mariners, and clock makers could get then get a time signal by viewing it from afar.[26] The ball drop would be repeated at 2 pm also if possible.[26]

A reason why 12 noon was not chosen, was because astronomers at the observatory would record when the Sun crossed the meridian on that day, so were busy at that time.[27]

In rare occasions where the ball could get stuck due to icing or snow, and if the wind was too high it would not be dropped.[26] [28]In 1852, it was established to distribute a time signal by the telegraph wires also.[29]

The time ball was extremely popular with the public, chronometers, railways, mariners, and there was a petition to have another time ball established in Southampton also.[30]

1890s

Dome of the Great Equatorial overlooking Greenwich park
21st century view of the Altazimuth Pavilion

The 1890s marked the addition of a new larger refractor, the 28 inch Grubb in the Great Equatorial Dome. Because the new telescope was longer than the old Great refractor, the new dome had to be bigger; thus the famous "onion dome" that expands beyond the diameter of the turret was established. For the tricentennial, it was revitalized with a fiberglass dome;the old one made of paper mache and iron had been taken down.

The telescope was installed by 1893, with 28 inch diameter glass doublet lens made by Grubb from Chance of Birmingham glass.[31] The new dome was made by T. Cooke and Sons.[31] This replaced a smaller drum shaped dome.[31]

The 1890s also saw the construction of the Altazimuth Pavillion, completed in 1896 and designed by William Crisp.[32] In 1898 the Christie Enclosure was established to house sensitive magnetic instruments that had been disrupted by the use of iron at the main facility.[33]

The Observatory underwent an attempted bombing on 15 February 1894. This was possibly the first "international terrorist" incident in Britain.[34] The bomb was accidentally detonated while being held by 26-year-old French anarchist Martial Bourdin in Greenwich Park, near the Observatory building. Bourdin died about 30 minutes later. It is not known why he chose the observatory, or whether the detonation was intended to occur elsewhere. Novelist Joseph Conrad used the incident in his novel The Secret Agent.[35]

Early 20th century

Standard lengths on the wall of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, London – 1 yard (3 feet), 2 feet, 1 foot, 6 inches (1/2-foot), and 3 inches. The separation of the inside faces of the marks is exact at an ambient temperature of 60 °F (16 °C) and a rod of the correct measure, resting on the pins, will fit snugly between them.[36][37]

For major parts of the twentieth century, the Royal Greenwich Observatory was not at Greenwich, because it moved to Herstmonceux in 1957. The last time that all departments were there was 1924: in that year electrification of the railways affected the readings of the Magnetic and Meteorological Departments, and the Magnetic Observatory moved to Abinger. Prior to this, the observatory had had to insist that the electric trams in the vicinity could not use an earth return for the traction current.[38]

After the onset of World War II in 1939, many departments were temporarily evacuated out of range of German bombers, to Abinger, Bradford on Avon, Bristol,[39] and Bath,[40] and activities in Greenwich were reduced to the bare minimum.

On 15 October 1940, during the Blitz, the Courtyard gates were destroyed by a direct bomb hit. The wall above the Gate Clock collapsed, and the clock's dial was damaged. The damage was repaired after the war.[41]

Herstmonceux Castle

Domes of the old Herstmonceux site

After the Second World War, in 1947, the decision was made to move to Herstmonceux Castle[42] and 320 adjacent acres (1.3 km²), 70 km south-southeast of Greenwich near Hailsham in East Sussex, due to light pollution in London. The Observatory was officially known as The Royal Greenwich Observatory, Herstmonceux. Although the Astronomer Royal Harold Spencer Jones moved to the castle in 1948, the scientific staff did not move until the observatory buildings were completed, in 1957. Shortly thereafter, other previously dispersed departments were reintegrated at Herstmonceux.

Things that moved to Herstmonceux include the Nautical Almanac Office, Chronometer Department, the library, and observing eqipment.[43]

The largest telescope at Greenwich for a score and one, the 36-inch reflector the Yapp telescope, was moved out to Herstmonceux in 1958.[44] There it was reconstructed in Dome B of the facility.[45] There is it was used for astronomy in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. It was left behind at Herstmonceux in 1990 in its dome when the organization moved once again.[43]

The tricentennial of Isaac Newton had passed during the second world war, delaying any festivies. One of the ground-swells was to be build the 'big better' telesopce in honour of the celebrated inventor of the newtonian reflecting telescope. After some two decades of development lead to the commissioning of the Issac Newton Telescope. It proved so successful that the weather was felt to be a bottleneck to its productivity, and plans were made to get to a higher, sunnier spot.

On December 1, 1967, the Isaac Newton Telescope of the Royal Greenwich Observatory at Herstmonceux was inaugurated (dedicated) by Queen Elizabeth II.[46]

The Isaac Newton Telescope was built at Herstmonceux in 1967, but was moved to Roque de los Muchachos Observatory in Spain's Canary Islands in 1979. In 1990 the RGO moved again, to Cambridge.[47] Following a decision of the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council, it closed in 1998. Her Majesty's Nautical Almanac Office was transferred to the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, on the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Chilton, Oxfordshire after the closure. Other work went to the UK Astronomy Technology Centre in Edinburgh. The castle grounds became the home of the International Study Centre of Queen's University, Kingston, Canada and The Observatory Science Centre,[48] which is operated by an educational charity Science Project.

Former Royal Greenwich Observatory, Herstmonceux, East Sussex

Observatory Science Centre opened in April 1995.[49] Some of the remaining telescopes, which were left behind in the move, have public observation events as part of operations of the centre.[49]

Greenwich site returns to active use

The Queen's House at Greenwich, showing the Royal Observatory in the far distance, 2017.

In 2018 the Annie Maunder Astrographic Telescope (AMAT) was installed at the ROG in Greenwich.[50][51] AMAT is a cluster of four separate instruments, to be used for astronomical research; it had achieved first light by June 2018:[52]

  • A 14-inch reflector can take high resolution images of the sun, moon and planets.
  • An instrument dedicated to observing the sun.
  • An instrument with interchangeable filters to view distant nebulae at different optical wavelengths.
  • A general-purpose telescope.

The telescopes and the works at the site required to operate them cost about £150,000, from grants, museum members and patrons, and public donations.

Observatory museum

Shepherd Gate Clock at Royal Greenwich Observatory

The observatory buildings at Greenwich became a museum of astronomical and navigational tools, which is part of the Royal Museums Greenwich.[53] Notable exhibits include John Harrison's sea watch, the H4, which received a large reward from the Board of Longitude, and his three earlier marine timekeepers; all four are the property of the Ministry of Defence. Many additional horological artefacts are displayed, documenting the history of precision timekeeping for navigational and astronomical purposes, including the mid-20th-century Russian-made F.M. Fedchenko clock (the most accurate pendulum clock ever built in multiple copies). It also houses the astronomical instruments used to make meridian observations and the 28-inch equatorial Grubb refracting telescope of 1893, the largest of its kind in the UK. The Shepherd Clock outside the observatory gate is an early example of an electric slave clock.

In February 2005 a £16 million redevelopment comprising a new planetarium and additional display galleries and educational facilities was started; the ROG reopened on 25 May 2007 with the new 120-seat Peter Harrison Planetarium.[54]

For a year between 2016 and 2017 the Museum reported 2.41 million visitors.[55]

References

  1. ^ a b Rebekah Higgitt (6 September 2012). "Royal Observatory Greenwich, London". BSHS Travel Guide - A Travel Guide to Scientific Sites. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  2. ^ "List of Observatory Codes". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  3. ^ "Greenwich and the Millennium". 2015. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  4. ^ Robert Chambers, Book of Days
  5. ^ "The Royal Observatory Greenwich - where east meets west: Telescope: The Sheepshanks Equatorial (1838)". www.royalobservatorygreenwich.org. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  6. ^ "The Royal Observatory Greenwich - where east meets west: Telescope: 28-inch Refractor (1893)". www.royalobservatorygreenwich.org. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
  7. ^ John Timbs' Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales
  8. ^ Hart, Kelly (2010), The Mistresses of Henry VIII, The History Press, p. 73, ISBN 978-0-7524-5496-2
  9. ^ [1]
  10. ^ Willmoth, Frances (2004). "Moore, Sir Jonas (1617–1679)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/19137. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  11. ^ Higgitt, Rebekah (2019). "'Greenwich near London': the Royal Observatory and its London networks in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries". The British Journal for the History of Science: 1–26. doi:10.1017/S0007087419000244. ISSN 0007-0874.
  12. ^ "The Royal Observatory Greenwich - where east meets west: The Buildings at Greenwich". www.royalobservatorygreenwich.org. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  13. ^ "The Royal Observatory Greenwich - where east meets west: People". www.royalobservatorygreenwich.org. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  14. ^ Dolan, Graham. "The Greenwich Meridian before the Airy Transit Circle". The Greenwich Meridian. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  15. ^ Howse, Derek (1997). Greenwich time and the longitude. London: Phillip Wilson. pp. 12, 137. ISBN 978-0-85667-468-6.
  16. ^ Howse, Derek (1980). Greenwich time and the discovery of the longitude. p. 171.
  17. ^ Adams, Brian (1994). "Charles Close Society" (PDF). pp. 14–15.
  18. ^ Malys, Stephen; Seago, John H.; Palvis, Nikolaos K.; Seidelmann, P. Kenneth; Kaplan, George H. (1 August 2015). "Why the Greenwich meridian moved". Journal of Geodesy. 89 (12): 1263–1272. doi:10.1007/s00190-015-0844-y.
  19. ^ Seago, John H.; Seidelmann, P. Kenneth. "The mean-solar-time origin of Universal Time and UTC" (PDF). Paper presented at the AAS/AIAA Spaceflight Mechanics Meeting, Kauai, HI, USA, March 2013. Reprinted from Advances in the Astronomical Sciences v. 148. pp. 1789, 1801, 1805. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 December 2013.
  20. ^ [2]
  21. ^ a b c d e "Airy's Transit Circle and the dawn of the Universal Day". Royal Museums Greenwich | UNESCO World Heritage Site In London. 18 August 2015. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  22. ^ [3]
  23. ^ [4]
  24. ^ "From The Royal Observatory: The Greenwich Time Ball". Londonist.com. 9 December 2009.
  25. ^ "Greenwich Time Ball".
  26. ^ a b c d e f g "1958Obs....78..113L Page 113". adsabs.harvard.edu. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  27. ^ Betts, Jonathan (4 January 2018). Marine Chronometers at Greenwich. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199641383.
  28. ^ Observations Made at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich in the Year ... in Astronomy, Magnetism and Meteorology. H.M. Stationery Office. 1921.
  29. ^ "1958Obs....78..113L Page 113". adsabs.harvard.edu. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  30. ^ "1958Obs....78..113L Page 113". adsabs.harvard.edu. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  31. ^ a b c Observatory, Royal Greenwich (1897). Observations Made in Astronomy, Magnetism and Meteorolgy. H.M. Stationery Office.
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  34. ^ Matusitz, Jonathan Andre. Symbolism in terrorism : motivation, communication, and behavior. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9781442235793. OCLC 891148726.
  35. ^ "Propaganda by Deed – the Greenwich Observatory Bomb of 1894". 20 August 2015. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007.
  36. ^ Bennett, Keith (2004), Bucher, Jay L. (ed.), The Metrology Handbook, Milwaukee, WI: American Society for Quality Measurement, p. 8, ISBN 978-0-87389-620-7.
  37. ^ Walford, Edward (1878), Old and New London, vol. VI.
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  39. ^ "Bristol & Bradford on Avon (1939–1948)". The Royal Observatory Greenwich. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  40. ^ "Bath (1939–1949)". The Royal Observatory Greenwich. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  41. ^ "The Royal Observatory Greenwich – The Shepherd Gate Clock". Royal Observatory Greenwich. Retrieved 3 May 2017. A very detailed history of the Shepherd Gate Clock.
  42. ^ "The Herstmonceux years... 1948–1990". The Royal Observatory Greenwich. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
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Further reading

  • Greenwich Observatory: ... the Royal Observatory at Greenwich and Herstmonceux, 1675–1975. London: Taylor & Francis, 1975 3v. (Vol. 1. Origins and early history (1675–1835), by Eric G. Forbes. ISBN 0-85066-093-9; Vol. 2. Recent history (1836–1975), by A.J. Meadows. ISBN 0-85066-094-7; Vol. 3. The buildings and instruments by Derek Howse. ISBN 0-85066-095-5)
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