'0 Degrees,' laser art by Peter Fink and Anne Bean, in Greenwich, England
© Norah Saudan/Gett
East meets west at the prime meridian. ‘Hello’ from zero degrees longitude
This laser projected from the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England, marks the prime meridian, dividing Earth’s Eastern and Western hemispheres and helping travelers to chart their courses by establishing a universally adopted 0-degrees longitude. The meridian itself is essentially an imaginary line, arbitrarily placed. By the early 19th century, most maritime countries had established their own prime meridians to aid in navigation. But on this date in 1884, delegates from 25 nations met at a conference in Washington, DC in USA where they established Greenwich as the international standard for mapping and time keeping. The decision made sense, as the Greenwich meridian was already widely used. But there was one hold out: France abstained from the vote and used its own prime meridian for several decades before eventually joining other countries in recognizing the Greenwich meridian.
Related Images
For Waitangi Day, the Pancake Rocks on New Zealand’s South Island
A fin whale in the waters off the Azores
Lake Dobson in Mount Field National Park of Tasmania
Cefalù on Mediterranean Sea in Sicily, Italy
Scenic view of frozen lake, Ladakh.
An old farm in the Shetland Islands, Scotland
Emperor penguins in the Ross Sea, Antarctica
Cumulus clouds over the Caribbean
Bing Today Images
