I-Greenwich Observatory (eLondon)

I-Greenwich Observatory, okwakuyisikhathi eside inesimo "sobukhosi", yaba inhlangano enkulu yezinkanyezi hhayi kuphela eBrithani, kodwa nasemhlabeni.

Umsunguli wendalo yakhe kwakunguCharles II. Inhloso eyinhloko yokudalwa kwakuwukucacisa izixhumanisi zendawo ezibalulekile kubagibeli . Idatha ehlukanisa indawo endaweni yamaphuzu wendawo ngokuvamile ibangele ukulahlekelwa ngisho nokubhujiswa kwemikhumbi.

I-Greenwich Observatory yayizoba isixhumanisi sokuhlanganisa abagibeli abangase bancike kuzo. Idatha eqoqwe futhi eqhutshwe kuyokwenza kube lula ukuhamba ngezindawo zasolwandle nolwandle futhi uthole indlela ngisho noma ehluke esikoleni.

Isisekelo sokulinganisa ubude, ukuhlelwa kwendawo okusetshenziselwa ukubala ibanga eliphakathi kwephuzu lomuntu kanye nomunye iphuzu eliqondile.

Ukubalwa kwe-longitude ezweni kwakunzima - ngaleso sikhathi izixhobo ze-geodetic zase zivele zivele. Kodwa olwandle (noma olwandle), ukusetshenziswa kwezindlela ezivamile kwakungeke kwenzeke, ngoba amanzi amanzi ayengatholakali izinto ezihlukile. Indlela enokwethenjelwa yokunquma ukulinganisa olwandle ayikho kuze kube sekhulwini leshumi nesishiyagalombili.

I-England, njengamandla amakhulu olwandle, yayifuna ngobuqotho izindlela zokunquma ubude emanzini avulekile.

Yiqiniso, kwakungenzeka ukuhamba, njengangaphambili, izinkanyezi. Kodwa lokhu kwakungenakwanele. Yebo, futhi lezi zimpawu zokubeka esimweni sezulu esinesibhakabhaka nanjengobhujimi azizange zisebenze.

Ngo-1675 (ngo-March) uCharles II wamisa uJohn Flamsteed njengenkanyezi yasebukhosini. Umfundisi omncane oneminyaka engu-28 ubudala uyalwa: "... ngokuzikhandla nokuzikhandla ngokukhethekile ukuqala ukubuyisana amatafula okuhamba kwamazulu nendawo yezinkanyezi nokuthuthukisa ubuciko bokuhamba ...".

Ngonyaka ofanayo (ngo-Mashi), i-Greenwich Observatory iqala umsebenzi. Imiphumela yokubheka iyashicilelwa "yokuqala" ye-"Marine Almanac" eminyakeni emibili kuphela ngemva kokuqala kokubheka.

Umsebenzi omkhulu kakhulu owenziwe eGreenwich uqobo uyaphazamisa ukuhamba kwemikhumbi futhi unikeza iBrithani ithuba lokuba ngumqambi omkhulu wamamephu e-sea (nautical).

Kodwa-ke, amazwe amaningi aqhubeka nokusebenzisa izinhlelo zabo zokulinganisela zokubuya.

I-Italy igxile emndenini waseNaples, eSwitzerland - eStockholm, eSpain - eFerro, eFrance - eParis. Kodwa isidingo sesistimu eyodwa yezwe lokuhlelwa isikhathi nokunquma ubude bekusobala.

Mayelana nalokhu, kunqunywe ukuhlela iNkomfa Yomhlaba Wonke (1884). Kwaphela inyanga, abameleli bamazwe angamashumi amabili nanhlanu abakwazanga ukuthola ukuyekethisa. Ekugcineni, indawo yokuqala yayiyi-Greenwich eLondon, manje eyaziwa ngokuthi i- Greenwich meridian. I-Longitude inqunywe ukukala ezinkomba ezimbili - okuhle (ukuma empumalanga) nokubi (entshonalanga).

Ukukhanya komgwaqo eLondon ngo-1930 kwakumhlophe kakhulu, futhi ukuqhubeka nokubona izinkanyezi ebusweni odlule kwakungenakwenzeka. I-Greenwich Observatory yathuthela eHirstmonso (Sussex, 70 km kusukela endaweni yangaphambili ye-observation). Izakhiwo ezisele ezisele zithunyelwa eMyuziyamu kaZwelonke yeMaritime. Ngo-1990, izazi zezinkanyezi kwakudingeka zihambe futhi, sezivele ziseCambridge. Ngo-1998, iGreenwich Observatory (iRoyal) yavalwa.