Discover the methods and precision instruments used by CERN surveyors in the service of a 27 km giant. Dive with Philippe, a member of the Accelerators, Survey and Geodesy section, into the heart of the sub-millimetre alignment of a radiofrequency cavity in the LHC. | CERN

Before precision instruments, surveyors and architects measured land by pacing it out. But here’s the trick: they didn’t count every step. Instead, they counted every other step—right, right, right—making measurements faster, easier, and surprisingly accurate. A simple method, but one that laid the foundation for incredible works of architecture. | The Randall Carlson