Greenwich Park, London #greenwichpark #canarywharf #skyline #queenshouse #royaloldnavycollege #royalobservatory #UK #sammifang (at Royal Observatory Greenwich) https://www.instagram.com/p/CkcKM3QBe5I/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Welcome to the Prime Meridian! Gwen is in the Eastern Hemisphere, I’m in the Western. IT’S LIKE WE’RE WORLDS APART! 😱 This photo was taken in Greenwich Village, England. Now if only we could snap a photo at the Equator, we could stand in every hemisphere at once... 🤔 #nerds #greenwichvillage #primemeridian #royalobservatory #randomencounters #irlencounters @apprenticenevermaster https://www.instagram.com/p/Bphtmm5Airu/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1fwtjlth915fj

#londonskyline #city #london #landscape #stormy #weather #sky #clouds #greenwich #royalobservatory #sonya7 #samyang35mm @timeoutlondon @london_only @sonyimages (at Royal Observatory, Greenwich)

The Royal Observatory at Greenwich became a symbol of Britain’s scientific ambition and later played a major role in establishing Greenwich as the world’s prime meridian, the starting point for measuring longitude around the globe. Its legacy continues today as a landmark of astronomy, exploration, and scientific discovery, connecting the achievements of the past with modern understanding of the universe.

The Great Comet of 1843 by Charles Piazzi Smyth 1843 The painting we present today is unique. It is a nighttime view showing an eyewitness account of The Great Comet of 1843, painted by the astronomer Charles Piazzi Smyth. The earliest observation occurred on the evening of 5 February (Yes! On this day in history!), 1843, and Smyth recorded its appearance at the Royal Observatory, Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, between 3 and 6 March. When at its greatest #brilliance, it was visible only from southern latitudes. Since the main purpose of the painting was to show the comet, the sky dominates the image. The comet formed a disk and Smyth described its nucleus as "a planetary disk, from which rays emerged in the direction of the tail." He observed that to the naked eye it appeared to have a double tail, with the two streamers proceeding from the head in perfectly straight lines. The tail of the comet holds the record for actual extent and the sighting was notable because of the #intensity of light (apparently outshining any comet seen in the previous seven centuries) and for the length of its #tail.

The painting shows the dramatic effect of the #phenomenon; the brilliance of the #stars and the red of the #sunset continues the effect.

A figure can be seen in the foreground, standing at the edge of the viewing platform to look at the comet with the range of mountains in the distance, glowing red. The relative scale of man to mountain emphasizes the #magnitude of the incident.

Smyth was an #astronomer, #geodesist, #spectroscopist, #meteorologist, #pyramidologist, #photographer, #traveler, and #writer. He realized that cities were not the ideal place for astronomical observations and fought for the settlement of observatories on mountains. In 1856, he organized an expedition to the #CanaryIslands and also travelled to #Russia, #France, #Madeira, #Sicily, and #Egypt. As one of the great British astronomers, he was Astronomer Royal for #Scotland for 42 years. (at South Africa)