International Latitude Observatory
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The International Latitude Observatories were a system of (originally) six Observatories located near the Parallel of 39 degrees 8 minutes north latitude. They were used to measure the variation in Latitude which occurs as a result of the wobble of the Earth on its polar axis. The original six observatories were located in:
- Gaithersburg, Maryland
- Cincinnati, Ohio
- Ukiah, California
- Mizusawa, Japan
- Charjui, Turkestan
- Carloforte, Italy
A good description of the Latitude Observatory system can be found in this page (http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/butowsky5/astro4i.htm) on the Gaithersburg Latitude Observatory in the National Park Service's Links to the Past (http://www.cr.nps.gov/) website.