Everything Everywhere Daily The Prime Meridian
Feb 5, 2025
Discover the fascinating story behind the imaginary line known as the Prime Meridian at the Royal Greenwich Observatory. Learn how this line became the global reference for longitude despite having no objective claim to its importance. Explore the historical evolution, challenges of early navigation, and the impact of GPS on modern coordinates. Dive into the intriguing celestial implications of prime meridians on other planets and enjoy a quirky discussion on tidal locking and the Moon's visibility!
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Geographic Coordinate System
- The geographic coordinate system uses latitude and longitude lines.
- Latitude measures north/south from the equator, while longitude measures east/west from a prime meridian.
The Equator
- The equator is a natural line arising from Earth's rotation.
- It's the longest latitude line and equidistant from the poles, unlike the arbitrary prime meridian.
The Arbitrary Prime Meridian
- Unlike lines of latitude, there's no natural prime meridian for longitude.
- Different countries historically used their own prime meridians, causing confusion.