The coordinates and location of any object on the globe can be determined by knowing the latitude and longitude of the point. We will find out what are the subtleties of the meaning of each of them.
How to determine the coordinates
Any modern geographic map makes it possible to find the coordinates of any city, mountain or lake. You need to know the latitude and longitude.
From the first, everything is clear: it is defined relative to the equator - an imaginary line that runs at the place where the plane perpendicular to the axis of the Earth intersects the center of our planet. It is the starting point, a kind of "zero" to find the latitude value, the location of the parallels. The equator passes through several countries - Congo, Kenya, Uganda, Somalia in Africa, Indonesia, located on the Sunda Islands, Ecuador, Brazil, Colombia in South America. The equator gives a clear idea of latitude.
Another thing is longitude. For a long time there was no consensus on what to take as the basis for counting this coordinate. Longitude is the determination of the position of a point on the surface of the Earth relative to the zero reference point from which the meridians depart. These are also imaginary lines that simplify working with maps. The angle between each of them and the origin is the longitude. Meridian zero is the basis of reference for this coordinate.
The problem of determining longitude
If everything is clear with the equator, then what is the “zero meridian” did not immediately become clear. For many years in different countries they used their “zero”. Of course, this created confusion.
Each country respecting science in the 19th century already acquired an observatory for observing celestial bodies. She was the starting point of longitude. In Russia, the USA, Great Britain and France there were their initial positions of meridians.
Longitude is very important in marine navigation. And long before the formation of clear scientific reference systems, there were other methods that allowed not to get lost in the sea. The first option was proposed by Johann Werner. The bottom line is observing the moon. Another way belongs to the genius Galileo Galilei. Using a telescope, he observed the position of the moons of Jupiter. The disadvantage of this method is the need for complex devices.
The simpler method - determination of the local and exact time at the reference point using the difference - belongs to Frisius Gemme. But not everyone had such an exact watch.
Meridian Zero became a kind of Grail - for the exact definition of longitude in Britain even offered a huge premium. Then the problem was the invention of accurate watches. What is the prime meridian, then they did not know for sure.
The clock was invented. The prize for them was received by John Harrison. But they continued to use ancient methods in navigation. The turning point was the invention of radio. Modern sailors use satellite data to determine longitude.
Reference points
As already mentioned, each country that had an observatory made it the beginning of the longitude. The Meridian of the same name passes through the Paris Observatory. It was popular in the 19th century.
In Russia, the prime meridian was called Pulkovsky. It received its name from the observatory, located near St. Petersburg. Used primarily in Russia. This "zero" meridian passes through Mogilev, Kiev region, Lake Tanganyika in Africa, the pyramids of Egypt. At the present stage is not used.
The ferro meridian passing through the Canary island of the same name was popular. First used by Ptolemy.
Since the 19th century, the Greenwich Meridian has been used in England. It has fixed itself as a “zero” for counting longitude in the modern world.
The Greenwich Zero Meridian is an imaginary line passing through London. With Pulkovsky, he has a difference of 30 degrees, with Paris - 2.
Meridial Conference
In 1884, eminent geographers and politicians gathered in Washington to resolve the coordinate system. The international meridional conference brought together representatives from Russia, Austria-Hungary, Germany, Great Britain, France, Denmark, Chile, Venezuela, Japan, Switzerland, the Ottoman Empire and many other countries. A total of 41 representatives were present.
In addition to determining longitude, participants were interested in developing a system for calculating time. What is the problem? And the fact is that until the XIX century a single unified time did not exist. All used local units. This caused confusion. The lack of standards impeded trade between countries with different levels of science and culture. There were problems with transport.
Where should the longitude count begin?
Of all the existing starting points, you had to choose one. The decision was made by open vote, in which all the delegates present participated.
At the conference, they decided which object should be the beginning of the longitude. The Meridian zero, according to the proposals of the delegates, could pass through Paris, the Azores or the Canary Islands, the Bering Strait, Greenwich. The islands immediately lost their votes - there was no proper level of scientific support. Paris also did not gain votes. Ferro, although popular, was also rejected. London Zero Meridian became the winner, only France objected.
A little bit about time
The first to talk about the need to unify time standards was Mr. Sandford Fleming, a simple Canadian engineer. Once, due to time confusion, he missed the train and missed an important meeting. Thus, since 1876 Fleming sought reform.
The issue was resolved at the aforementioned conference in Washington. A time zone system has been formed, which is still used today. Not everyone accepted the innovations. For example, Russia joined the standard only in 1919. Germany, France and Austria-Hungary also joined later.
The origin is the zero meridian. Oceans, seas, land, this imaginary line passes. The boundaries of 24 zones are the meridians. However, still not everyone follows this division. The reasons for this are the size of countries. The most accurate watches in the world are also in Greenwich. By the way, the GPS system shows the origin of longitude not in the observatory, but 100 meters from it.
Greenwich Observatory
The Center for Astronomical Research in the UK and the commencement of longitude - the Greenwich Observatory. This place has a rich history. It was founded in the XVII century through the efforts of King Charles II. During its existence, the observatory changed its location. The very idea of creating such an institution did not belong to the king, but to statesman Jonas Moore. He convinced the king of the importance of the observatory, and proposed to make John Flemstead the main astronomer. Soon the building was designed and built, the lion's share of funding was on Moore's shoulders.
Here, the exact clock and time standard were set. As you know, the beginning of the counting of longitude passes through the observatory. At the local level, the Greenwich meridian began to be used in 1851, and approved at the famous conference in 1884.
They tried to blow up the observatory once! At the time of 1894, it was a unique, first case in the history of Britain.
At the present stage, the observatory continues to function. Various instruments for research in the field of astronomy are located here. In fact, this is a museum in which there are many valuable exhibits. They reflect the history of science and technology, especially in the field of time measurements. Recently, reconstruction has been carried out, a planetarium and galleries have been created.
Conclusion
Zero Meridian - a reference point of longitude and time. But this term can be used in other areas. So, in 2006, the Zero Meridian team became popular in Russia. “Not My Words” is the most famous song of this group.
Longitude has been counting for many years from Greenwich. From the zero meridian there are lines that determine the coordinates in all parts of the world. It breaks the globe into the eastern and western hemispheres. The zero meridian passes through Algeria, Ghana, Mali, Spain, Great Britain, France. Thus, these countries are located in both hemispheres at the same time.