Scientists have determined the reason for the shift of the Prime Meridian

A group of American scientists under the leadership of astronomer Kenneth Seidelmann from the University of Virginia, located in the American city of Charlottesville, announced its version of an erroneous determination of the location of the Greenwich Meridian. According to researchers, astronomers of the 19th century erroneously said the Prime Meridian 100 m to the West of its real location due to the gravitational anomaly in the area.

They found in Observatory, gravity anomaly, which can change the course of a pendulum clock due to the so-called deflection of the plumb line. It is the neglect of deviations of the plumb line and distorts the measurements of the coordinates that are produced in this area. According to the calculations Seidelmann, the deviation of the plumb line at Greenwich is 102 meters. That is the anomaly and fix the sensors the GPS on the territory of Observatory.

Translated by «Yandex.Translator»