The Royal Observatory, Greenwich

 In my last post, I promised to continue my story about the park and observatory in Greenwich. You've already seen the park and rose garden. The park adjoins the observatory buildings. The observatory was built in 1675 by order of King Charles II. Since Greenwich Park was a royal estate, no new land was required. At that time, the king also established the position of Astronomer Royal, who was to act as the observatory's director.
The park beautifully complements the buildings; many trees, such as the larches, are slightly younger than the observatory itself. Parrots live in the canopies of the deciduous trees.

 

 

 

You can drive closer along the wide road and explore the museum complex. I photographed a view of the park, and the observatory's domes are visible in the distance.

 

 The Royal Observatory, Greenwich played a major role in the history of astronomy and navigation, and because the Prime Meridian passed through it, it gave its name to Greenwich Mean Time, the precursor to today's Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). The prime meridian runs directly from the door of the observatory building, and any visitor can stand in both the eastern and western hemispheres simultaneously.

 

The scientific work of the observatory was relocated elsewhere in stages in the first half of the 20th century, and the Greenwich site is now maintained almost exclusively as a museum. The original observatory housed the Astronomer Royal, his assistant and his family . 

 

 

By the later 18th century it incorporated additional responsibilities such as publishing The Nautical Almanac, advising government on technical matters, disseminating time, making meteorological and magnetic observations and undertaking astrophotography and spectroscopy. 

 

 

 

 

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Sunny Winter Day in the Park

 

This park is called Udelny and is located in the northern part of St. Petersburg. Udelny Park is a forested park with a variety of trees, including both deciduous and coniferous species. The birch grove is particularly beautiful.

The park is located on two terraces separated by a 5-6-meter-high ledge, representing the shore of an ancient sea. Initially, part of this area was set aside for growing ship pine.

In the 19th century, the park lands began to be leased for the construction of cottages, promenade gardens, bathing areas, boathouses, and other entertainment venues. Udelny Park gained widespread popularity, which increased after the opening of the railway stations.

The park continues to be a popular recreation spot. In the summer, it is ideal for cycling, and in the winter, for skiing and sledding. Udelny Park also has a small forest area near the central alley, where you can hand-feed birds and squirrels.

I had a wonderful winter day in the park. It was -2°C, slightly windless, and the sky was bright blue. I picked up some millet for the birds and some peanuts for the squirrels.

Greenwich Park

 Today I'd like to tell you about and show you a wonderful park. Greenwich Park is a former hunting park in Greenwich and one of the largest green spaces in southeast London.

 

The park is a Crown property; during the reign of James I, it was walled and remained inaccessible to the public for a long time. It is currently open to the public. In 2012, Greenwich Park hosted the equestrian and modern pentathlon competitions as part of the Summer Olympics.

 

The Royal Observatory is located on Greenwich Hill.
The Greenwich Prime Meridian crosses Greenwich Park, running due north and south of the Royal Observatory.  The line is marked by a stainless steel band in the observatory courtyard.
It divides the Earth into the western and eastern hemispheres and runs right through the courtyard, marked by a shiny band.

 

It's difficult to see all the interesting sights of Greenwich Park in one day. So I came on another day to see the Royal Observatory and the Greenwich Meridian. It's always nice to stand with one foot in the Eastern Hemisphere and the other in the Western Hemisphere. I'll tell you more about that later.

 

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