prime meridian

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prime meridian

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition | 2008 | The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2008 Columbia University Press. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

prime meridian meridian that is designated zero degree (0°) longitude, from which all other longitudes are measured. By international convention, it passes through the original site of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England; for this reason, it is sometimes called the Greenwich meridian. Universal time , the standard basis for determining time throughout the world, is civil time measured at the prime meridian.

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prime meridian

A Dictionary of Astronomy | 1997 | © A Dictionary of Astronomy 1997, originally published by Oxford University Press 1997. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

prime meridian A fixed circle of longitude on the surface of a body, used as a reference from which other longitudes can be measured west or east. The prime meridian on Earth passes through the transit circle established by G. B.Airy at Greenwich, and defines the zero of terrestrial longitude. On other bodies the prime meridian is defined with respect to a known surface feature, such as a small crater.

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meridian

The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea | 2006 | © The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea 2006, originally published by Oxford University Press 2006. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

meridian, from Latin medius meaning middle, and dies meaning day, a semi-great circle joining the earth's poles. Meridians, better known as lines of longitude, cross the equator and all parallels of latitude at right angles. Owing to the rotation of the earth, all celestial bodies appear to revolve around the earth towards the west, making one revolution in a day. When the sun crosses an observer's meridian, the local time is midday.

See also prime meridian.

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"meridian." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. Oxford University Press. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 6 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

Free Article Prime Meridian.(Brief article)(Book review)
Newspaper article from: Small Press Bookwatch; 10/1/2009
Free Article State Street Corporation Launches State Street Prime-Meridian Browser ACH.
Business Wire; 11/16/1998
Free Article Walking Zero.(Walking Zero: Discovering Cosmic Space and Time Along the Prime Meridian)(Book review)
Magazine article from: Bookmarks; 9/1/2006

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Prime Meridian.(Brief article)(Book review)
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State Street Corporation Launches State Street Prime-Meridian Browser ACH.
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Magazine article from: Reference & Research Book News; 2/1/2007; 486 words ; ...discovering cosmic space and time along the prime meridian. Raymo, Chet. Walker & Company...across southeastern England along the prime meridian. As becomes clear in the...recount his travels than to use the prime meridian--the zero line for geographical...
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Magazine article from: Bookmarks; 9/1/2006; 700+ words ; ...Cosmic Space and Time Along the Prime Meridian By Chet Raymo Another walk, another...tell the story of how that same meridian came to be fixed in the late 19th...homes and workplaces of some of the prime movers of science, including Newton...
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