The Royal Observatory, Greenwich (formerly the Royal Greenwich Observatory or RGO) was commissioned in 1675 by King Charles II, with the foundation stone being laid on 10 August.[1] At this time the king also created the position of Astronomer Royal (initially filled by John Flamsteed), to serve as the director of the observatory and to "apply himself with the most exact care and diligence to the rectifying of the tables of the motions of the heavens, and the places of the fixed stars, so as to find out the so much desired longitude of places for the perfecting of the art of navigation." It is situated on a hill in Greenwich Park in Greenwich, London, overlooking the River Thames.
There had been significant buildings on this land since the reign of Edward I.[2] Greenwich Palace, next to the site of the present-day Observatory was the birthplace of Henry VIII and the Tudors used Greenwich Castle, which was built on the land that the Observatory now stands on. Greenwich Castle was apparently a favourite place for Henry VIII to house his mistresses, so that he could easily travel from the Palace to see them.[3]
The establishment of a Royal Observatory was proposed in 1674 by Sir Jonas Moore who, in his role as Surveyor General at the Ordnance Office, persuaded King Charles II that the Observatory might be built with Flamsteed employed in it.[4] The Ordnance Office was given responsibility for building the Observatory, with Moore providing the key instruments and equipment for the observatory at his own personal cost. Flamsteed House, the original part of the Observatory, was designed by Sir Christopher Wren probably with the assistance of Robert Hooke and was the first purpose-built scientific research facility in Britain.
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British astronomers have long used the Royal Observatory as a basis for measurement: four separate meridians have been drawn through the building. The basis of longitude, the Prime Meridian, established in 1851 and adopted at an international conference in 1884, passes through the Airy transit circle of the observatory.
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Daniel, preste atenção nessas datas. 1675 é entre a guerra civil inglesa e a revolução gloriosa. Antes da guerra civil, a Inglaterra era um país que não tinha nada demais. A revolução gloriosa foi uma espécie de fusão com a Holanda. Após a revolução, a Inglaterra venceu uma série de guerras no final do século XVII e início do século XVIII, se tornando a principal potência mundial e o maior império colonial no mundo. A Inglaterra se expandiu, tendo a França como sua principal rival. No fim das guerras napoleônicas, a França é definitivamente derrotada, dando início à chamada Pax Britannica. E o século XIX é o auge do poder britânico, quando é estabelecido o meridiano de Greenwich como referência. Dê uma olhada: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Empire
ResponderExcluirUm Abraço, Felipe