Struve Geodesic Arc - what is it?

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

The Struve Geodesic Arc is one of those mysterious and fantastic inventions that never cease to amaze you with the power of the human mind. When you understand the genius and scale of this project, it literally takes your breath away. No wonder the Duga was included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. But some buildings stand in line for years to get there.

Struve Geodesic Arc. And what, exactly, is the matter?

Hearing our laudatory chants, you probably wondered: “Hmm, the geodesic Struve Arc: what is it?”. We explain on the fingers.

The Struve Geodesic Arc is a line of 265 objects. Each of them is a cube, the edge of which is two meters. Similar structures are installed at certain distances from each other, and the total length of the arc is about 2820 kilometers.

Why was she created? The main goal is to study the planet, its shape and parameters. The arc was realized according to the ideas of the Russian astronomer Vasily Yakovlevich Struve, who was born in Germany. He made a significant contribution to the development of local astronomical science, his works are studied at universities andto this day. The main activity of the scientist fell on the 19th century: can you imagine what contribution the geodetic Struve Arc had to science at that time?

Science Concept

As we all know from astronomy and history lessons, the earth was originally thought to be spherical. And only then did scientists make theoretical assumptions that you and I actually live on an ellipse. To confirm this, work was planned to create a geodesic Struve Arc.

If you mark all the locations of the Arc objects on the map, you will see a chain of small triangles. The objects were located in the direction from north to south, along the 25th meridian. 13 reference points - mini-centers, with the help of which longitude and latitude were determined.

Each object has been specially marked. There was no separate symbolism. Marks were hollowed out in the rocks, pyramids were erected and notches were made from crosses.

The Struve Arc still passes through several European countries: Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Moldova and Lithuania. The works did not lose their relevance for 40 years: all this time, scientists from Russian observatories collected data, analyzed them and made their discoveries.

Is it really important?

And what, in principle, did the creation of the geodesic Struve Arc give us? It is impossible to overestimate the contribution to the development of astronomical and geographical science. The data collected by the Struve team has been used by scientists from all over the world for more than a hundred years. For example, thanks to the information received, Struve was able to get as close as possible to calculating the real size of the Earth.

Also, on the basis of the received data, a lot of maps were created, the navigation system was improved. It also contributed to the communication of scientists from various countries.

UNESCO World Heritage

Realizing the significance of this project, the Finns proposed to give the Duga the status of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Since that time, work began to determine all the points laid down in the original Struve plan. Unfortunately, many of them have sunk into oblivion. Speaking of the Struve geodesic arc in Russia, only two remaining objects can be found in photos. They are located on the island of Gogland, located in St. Petersburg.

In total, about 34 objects of the original Arc have been preserved. Most of them are located in the territories of Norway and Belarus. However, work on the study of these objects is still ongoing. For example, we still know little about the part of the Duga located on the territory of Russia and Ukraine.

Next. The readings taken from the Struve Arc have been verified over time using the latest technology. In particular, later data were compared with data from satellites. To the surprise of all scientists, it turned out that the discrepancy in the data obtained is minimal. Guess how much? Only 2 centimeters. At the time, this was an unheard-of breakthrough!

Building the whole world

In addition, by the standards of that time, this study could be considered the largest inthe world. The platforms were installed in several European countries, and the rulers of several states contributed to the construction of the structure.

For example, a significant part of the work was financed by Russian emperors: Alexander I and Nicholas I. However, the rest did not stand aside. When performing work in the territories of Sweden and Norway, not only Russians, but also local scientists were actively involved. And permission to conduct research was issued personally by the King of Sweden and Norway, Oscar I.

The work of famous scientists

To build the Arc, the most eminent scientists were involved, who could only be found in the Russian expanses. For example, the well-known cartographer Iosif Khodzko personally supervised the work that was designed to connect several parts of the Arc. In particular, he paved the way in connecting the Lithuanian segment with the Livonian one. And he worked side by side with the creator himself: Vasily Struve.

By the way, it is noteworthy that, although the work was completely initiated by Russian scientists, Russia itself got little. Only two objects were located on its territory. And they were placed not on the mainland, but on the island. Nevertheless, they are well preserved to our time, and if you wish, you can hope for an excursion.

But Moldova was less fortunate. As many as 27 measuring points were installed on its territory. However, only one has survived so far. Although, the territory of Moldova was not explored too thoroughly, so it is greatchance that over time it will be possible to restore other objects of the famous Arc.

Modern Monuments

Fortunately, the Struve Arc has received recognition both among the scientific elite and the general public. What does it mean? For example, the geodetic Struve Arc in Belarus has long been a popular tourist attraction.

She even has a special monument, which is carefully engraved that it is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. By the way, this particular design was included in the list only in 2005. The monument is crowned with a large ball, the diameter of which is one and a half meters. On the ball (or rather, the ellipse), which symbolizes our planet, you can see the dotted borders of Belarus.

So. The Struve Geodetic Arc in Belarus in the photo most often looks like this: a ball on a rectangular pedestal. Although in reality these are two large rectangular slabs dug into the ground. From above, they are connected by three bayonets, forming a triangle. To be honest, there is not much to see there, but tourists are regularly taken to the famous place.

Memory forever

Another confirmation of how much Belarus is proud of this object is the coins. In 2006, a year after being included in the UNESCO list, the National Bank issued commemorative coins depicting a ball from Duga. Silver copies cost 20 rubles (about 8.5 euros), and copper ones cost 1 ruble (about 0.4 euros). These coinshave long found their place in the collections of numismatists, so it is not so easy to meet them.

Something similar happened in Lithuania. In 2015, silver coins dedicated to the Struve Arc were issued in this way. The cost of one coin was 20 euros. It was possible to buy them only in the branch of the Central Bank of the country, and now it is also better to look for them from collectors.