Abstract

Xujiahui observatory (1950-1962) grew out of the Zi-Ka-Wei observatory built by French Missionaries and mainly focused on the improvement of the accuracy of time services. In the 1950 s, under the name of modernization of time services, the Xujiahui observatory carried out two research projects: one was a national project initiated by the National Administration of Geodetic Surveying; the other was an international cooperative project in the International Geophysical Year (IGY) . The success of the improvement of the accuracy of time signals in the Xujiahui observatory was generally attributed to the former project. Based on the analysis of the historical materials, the paper points out that the intrinsic cause of the success lies in the requirement of IGY. In order to reach the standards of IGY, the Xujiahui observatory upgraded observational instruments, increased observational frequency and improved observational accuracy.

Key Words

Time services; Modernization; Accuracy of time signals; International Geophysical Year (IGY) ; Longitude measurement

Citation: Ning, X. 'A Study of the Motivations for Modernization of Time Services in Xujiahui Observatory' [J]. Journal of Dialectics of Nature, 2018, 40(9): 65-72.

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