Greenwich Mean Time

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

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Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/greenwich-mean-time

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the location?Royal Observatory, Greenwich, London, England
2. What is the reference meridian?Designated as the Prime Meridian (0° longitude) in 1884
3. Why was the Greenwich Meridian chosen as the prime meridian?The Royal Observatory in Greenwich made many nautical charts, and the International Meridian Conference in 1884 chose Greenwich because of its widespread use. It became the world's zero point for longitude.
4. How does the sun's motion affect Greenwich Mean Time?The sun moves a little faster or slower during the year because Earth’s orbit is elliptical and tilted. The equation of time shows this, and GMT averages those variations to keep time steady.

Prime Meridian: The meridian of longitude defined as 0°, passing through Greenwich, London, serving as the reference for Earth's longitude and time zones.
Mean Solar Time: A time scale based on the apparent motion of the Sun, averaged over the year to account for orbital and axial variations.
Equation of Time: The difference between apparent solar time and mean solar time, caused by Earth's elliptical orbit and axial tilt.
Coordinated Universal Time (UTC): The international standard time, maintained by atomic clocks, which serves as the basis for civil time worldwide.