Museums

Royal Observatory Greenwich

The Greenwich Meridian Line, Longitude 0°, is the centre of world time, defined by a transit instrument and line across the Observatory courtyard. Endorsed by international agreement in1884 as the Prime Meridian of the world, it attracts visitors from around the globe to stand astride the line that divides East and West. You can see the 17th century rooms occupied by the first Astronomer Royal, the observation room with its early Tompion clocks and displays on the development of improved navigation at sea that led to Britain’s leadership in world exploration and trade for several centuries.

The most important, intricate, marine timekeepers of John Harrison, the carpenter/inventor, are all on display alongside the earliest accurate clocks used to establish Greenwich as the world standard for accurate time signals. These Greenwich clocks became the centre for sending the time signal throughout Britain and later by cable to synchronise with other nations. New galleries explore how time impacts on our daily life and the giant 28” refracting telescope can be seen.

Planetarium

A journey into deepest space is promised in the new Peter Harrison Planetarium. Information from NASA telescopes and the latest terrestrial technology reveal the secrets of pulsars and black holes. There is a charge for these shows (see below). Some are designed for children (age 7+) while one show each day features the night sky and is led by an astronomer who is able to answer audience questions.

Some questions are answered next door in the new (free) Astronomy Centre which describes the tools of the modern astronomer and contains an exploratory area to test your own understanding.

Cafeteria restaurant. Time and astronomy-themed gift shops. The Royal Observatory is a branch museum of the National Maritime Museum.

Map of area

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