Royal Observatory, Greenwich

Royal Observatory, Greenwich

The Royal Observatory, Greenwich is a comprehensive observatory built by King Charles II of Britain in Greenwich, London in 1675, with its foundation stone laid on August 10 of the same year. At that time, the king also created the position of Astronomer Royal (the first to hold the post was John Flamsteed), who served as the director of the observatory. The role was dedicated to correcting star charts of celestial motion and the positions of stars in order to accurately determine longitude, making navigation a perfected art. The observatory is situated on a hill in Greenwich Park overlooking the River Thames in London, where visitors can see the famous Prime Meridian and even try standing with one foot in each hemisphere.

Today, the Royal Observatory, Greenwich is part of the National Maritime Museum and is a museum that houses astronomical and navigational instruments, including the famous H4 marine chronometer created by John Harrison — the winner of a prestigious award — along with his previous three prototypes. Several other historic man-made timekeeping devices that provided precise timing for astronomy and navigation are also on display, including the mid-20th century Soviet-made Fedchenko clock (known for being one of the most accurate pendulum clocks, with multiple replicas produced).

The Royal Observatory, Greenwich is also home to the 28-inch refracting telescope built by Grubb in 1893, which was the largest of its kind in Britain at the time. The Shepherd Gate Clock just outside the observatory gates is an example of an early electric clock. In February 2005, a £15 million renovation project began to provide a new planetarium along with additional exhibition galleries and educational facilities. The 120-seat Peter Harrison Planetarium opened in May 2007.

Royal Observatory, Greenwich

Must-visit reason: The world’s most famous observatory

Continent where the attraction is located: Europe【Europe】

Country/Region where the attraction is located: Britain[Britain]

Province/State where the attraction is located: Greater London [Greater London]

City where the attraction is located: Greenwich [Greenwich]