What does prime meridian mean?

Definitions for prime meridian
prime merid·i·an

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word prime meridian.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. prime meridiannoun

    meridian at zero degree longitude from which east and west are reckoned (usually the Greenwich longitude in England)

Wiktionary

  1. prime meridiannoun

    The reference line at 0° longitude, passing through Greenwich, England, from which longitude east and west is measured.

Wikipedia

  1. Prime meridian

    A prime meridian is an arbitrary meridian (a line of longitude) in a geographic coordinate system at which longitude is defined to be 0°. Together, a prime meridian and its anti-meridian (the 180th meridian in a 360°-system) form a great circle. This great circle divides a spheroid, like Earth, into two hemispheres: the Eastern Hemisphere and the Western Hemisphere (for an east-west notational system). For Earth's prime meridian, various conventions have been used or advocated in different regions throughout history. Earth's current international standard prime meridian is the IERS Reference Meridian. It is derived, but differs slightly, from the Greenwich Meridian, the previous standard. A prime meridian for a planetary body not tidally locked (or at least not in synchronous rotation) is entirely arbitrary, unlike an equator, which is determined by the axis of rotation. However, for celestial objects that are tidally locked (more specifically, synchronous), their prime meridians are determined by the face always inward of the orbit (a planet facing its star, or a moon facing its planet), just as equators are determined by rotation. Longitudes for the Earth and Moon are measured from their prime meridian (at 0°) to 180° east and west. For all other Solar System bodies, longitude is measured from 0° (their prime meridian) to 360°. West longitudes are used if the rotation of the body is prograde (or 'direct', like Earth), meaning that its direction of rotation is the same as that of its orbit. East longitudes are used if the rotation is retrograde.

ChatGPT

  1. prime meridian

    The Prime Meridian is the meridian (a line of longitude) in a geographic coordinate system at which longitude is defined to be 0 degrees. This line runs from the North Pole to the South Pole, passing through the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London, which is why it is also known as the Greenwich Meridian. It serves as the reference point for standard time zones around the world.

Wikidata

  1. Prime meridian

    A prime meridian is a meridian, i.e. a line of longitude, at which longitude is defined to be 0°. A prime meridian and its opposite in a 360°-system, the 180th meridian, form a great circle. This great circle divides the sphere, e.g. the Earth, into two hemispheres. If one uses directions of East and West from a defined prime meridian, then they can be called Eastern Hemisphere and Western Hemisphere. A prime meridian is ultimately arbitrary, unlike an equator, which is determined by the axis of rotation—and various conventions have been used or advocated in different regions and throughout history.

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of prime meridian in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of prime meridian in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8


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"prime meridian." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/prime+meridian>.

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