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 M¢25  Funded By Mahalo ? |  November 11, 2009 03:17 PM

Did the constructors of the pyramids of Giza know that Greenwich would be chosen as the primary merdian?

What are the odds that the pyramids of Giza would be very close to the intersection of the thirtieth parallel with the thirtieth meridian?
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November 11, 2009 04:15 PM
The original "Transit Circle" Telescope. Below the telescope we can see the new Laser Beam that replaced it.
http://www.nmm.ac.uk/rog/D7064_1.jpg

None. It is all speculative.

Egyptians had no clue as to where and when the Greenwich Meridian Line will be put in the future. Egyptians cease to exist as formidable ancient culture in the year 30 BC, when the last queen of Egypt (in reality a Ptolemaic Greek descendant), Cleopatra VIII, killed herself with the bite of an Aspide. From that year up to 1884, more than 19 centuries passed. So there is no relation or connection between the age of Egyptian pyramid building and the conformation of the Greenwich Line as the Prime Meridian.

The Greenwich line, the Prime Meridian was defined in 1884 by the position of the large “Transit Circle” telescope in the building of the Meridian Observatory. The transit circle was first built by Sir George Biddell Airy in 1850; he was the 7th Astronomer Royal. It was a more accurate telescope than previous. The name of "Transit" means that it was fixed on a north-south line for the observation of stars as they crossed, or transited, the meridian. The line through the centre of this telescope became the Greenwich Meridian.

The Greenwich Meridian was chosen as the Prime Meridian of the World in 1884, when 41 delegates from 25 nations met in Washington DC for the International Meridian Conference. Greenwich won the prize of Longitude 0º by a vote of 22 vs. 1 against and 2 abstentions.

According to "www.nmm.ac.uk":

---Quote---
The Meridian is a north-south line selected as the zero reference line for astronomical observations. The line in Greenwich represents the Prime Meridian of the World (Longitude 0º) every place on Earth is measured in terms of its distance east or west from this line. Since the late 19th century, the Prime Meridian at Greenwich has served as the reference line for Greenwich Mean Time. Before this, every town in the world kept its own local time. There were no national or international conventions.
---/Quote---

Prime Meridian of the World with the new laser beam exhibited on top of the Greenwich Observatory facade. The Laser turns on during the night and aims up into the sky (thru the top black window with a square hole in the middle).
http://247clocks.com/Gmt.jpg

7th Astronomer Royale, George Biddell Airy.
http://www.nmm.ac.uk/rog/B0330.jpg
Source(s):
http://www.nmm.ac.uk/explore/astronomy-and-time/astronomy-facts/history/the...

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.nmm.ac.uk/rog/F5705-003cr...

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Helpful: davepamn

Tip pixelsilva for this answer
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November 11, 2009 04:31 PM
Great answer. I notice a few typos that MS word would catch. The typos will not distract from the meat of the answer because it is very good.

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November 11, 2009 04:47 PM
....errr... Sorry! Sometimes my morning English is not that good, grammatical misspellings inherited and also mixed with my native Spanish.

There.... fixed.

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November 11, 2009 05:07 PM
Thanks, it good and the content sends a clear message.

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