This historic stone pyramid is a survey marker or trig station which stands in front of the Sydney Observatory at Millers Point. It was erected in 1880 on the Sydney meridian, which is the line passing through the Observatory’s Transit Circle Telescope and running north-south. By observing stars, astronomers could establish both its longitude, how many degrees it was located to the east of Greenwich Observatory and its latitude, how many degrees it was to the south of the equator. This stone marker with its highly accurate position would have been essential for 19th century surveyors to use in any surveys of Sydney. The white structure adjacent to the survey marker is a weather station.
We have triangulation pillars over here and benchmarks though one place I have yetto visit is the Greenwich Meridian
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Thanks Jim!
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately missed this on recent trip to Oz! :-(
Interesting!
ReplyDeleteLea
Beautiful photo, a pyramid wonderful!
ReplyDeleteIt was a recent discovery for me too. I'd seen it before but had no idea what its intent was.
ReplyDeleteSad to say I have never been there!
ReplyDeleteIt's funny how many Sydneysiders have said that.
DeleteAnother terrific shot, Jim, love the pyramid!! Thanks for sharing! Hope you've had a great weekend!!
ReplyDeleteSuch a simple looking structure yet so vital for geographic information. Intriguing.
ReplyDeleteIt's almost mystical how this structure holds the key to so much information. Lovely photo, I'm glad to have seen it.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a pleasant place to sit for a while!
ReplyDeleteShadowy Harvest
What a fascinating glimpse into history!
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