East Meets West

I took some time out at midday today to travel to the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, just east of Central London. The site, just south of the River Thames, is home to the Prime Meridian, the physical point from which all east/west measures are made. I'd been to the Royal Observatory before, but never at 1pm. As you'll see in a video below, something special happens at 1pm...

This picture and the next show the Royal Observatory up on the hilltop from the entrance to Greenwich Park.

The display, at the entrance to the Observatory, contains a clock and calibrations for various units of measure.

This picture and the next show a view of Canary Wharf and the Docklands, the former shipping center of England made new financial center. In the first picture, you can see some of the taller buildings in Central London at the far left of frame.

And here's the Prime Meridian.

Facing North... Left foot in the Western Hempisphere, right foot the Eastern Hemisphere.

The red ball has traditionally risen and dropped at 1pm GMT every day so that ship captains could set their watches.

Here is video of the ball dropping at 1pm GMT on Monday, March 1.