We gather the official position of the Prime Meridian at Greenwich is not to the liking of the powers that be at Google, as they have decided to shift it 100 metres or so east.

Yes indeed, according to the most reliable authority (The Greenwich Observatory press office - and if they don't know, who does?), the line marking zero degrees longitude passes right through the observatory buildings and across the forecourt where there is a lovely sculpture on top of which happy tourists can pose, one foot in the east and one in the west.

We'll leave it to readers to construct an eloborate conspiracy theory around the Google Earth Prime Meridian relocation outrage, which you can confirm here (.kmz file). ®

Bootnote

Thanks to Matthew Bednall for the heads-up on this one.

Related stories

• Google denies Oz-blurring black op (15 August 2007)
• Google cedes Chilean village to Argentina (30 April 2007)
• Canadians enjoy winter sun on Google Earth (25 August 2006)
• Google mislays Tibet (18 August 2006)
• Chinese black helicopters circle Google Earth (19 July 2006)
• Google erases Malta (12 July 2006)
• NSFW Farmer's huge arse pops up on Google Earth (31 May 2006)
• Google plans orbital mind control (8 March 2006)
• NSFW 40-metre profanity spotted from space (10 February 2006)
• VW preps Google Earth-based in-car sat nav rig (6 February 2006)
• Oz flying car launch site: exclusive pictures (25 January 2006)
• Flying car captured on Google Earth (23 January 2006)
• Google Earth fingers CIA rendition flights? (19 January 2006)
• Readers crack Google Earth photo challenge (18 January 2006)
• Google Earth: the photo interpretation challenge (17 January 2006)
• American casts long shadow on Google Earth (13 January 2006)
• Google Earth menaced by WW2 bomber (9 January 2006)
• Bloke finds self on Google Earth (20 December 2005)
• Competition results Google Earth: the black helicopters have landed (14 October 2005)
• Taiwan huffs and puffs at Google Earth (4 October 2005)
• Google Earth threatens democracy - again (20 September 2005)
• Google Earth threatens democracy (13 September 2005)
• South Korea throws strop at Google Earth (31 August 2005)
• Black helicopter alert Microsoft cloaks Area 51 (27 July 2005)
• Microsoft's Earth deletes Apple HQ (25 July 2005)
• Google finds sense of humo(u)r on surface of Moon (20 July 2005)
• Black helicopter alert Google tracks Hitler to San Diego (18 July 2005)
• Google conquers planet Earth (29 June 2005)