tokolmski meridijan

The old meridian room

From the old meridian that runs through this room local Stockholm time was determined
well in to the 19th century. In 1900 Sweden adopted Greenwich Mean Time. In this room
you can view planet models, based on an 18th century perception of the solar system. It
is also the centre of a more modern model of the solar system, which stretches all the
way down the Observatory Hill.
The new meridian room

In the 1820s the Stockholm Meridian was moved to this room and new instruments were
ordered from Reichenbach and Ertel in Mnich.
19th Century astronomy largely entailed the measurement of extremely small angles in
order to determine the position and movement of various celestial bodies, as well as the
distance to them.
As the astronomical instruments became more powerful and accurate, they also became
larger and heavier. In 1871 major alterations of the Observatory were initiated and new
instruments were procured. To accommodate the new telescope a cupola was built on the
roof.