Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Mythical Viking Sunstones Could Have Worked
Maritime Executive ^

Posted on 04/04/2018 8:49:40 PM PDT by ameribbean expat

Physicists from Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary have determined that the sunstones claimed to be used by Vikings to navigate on foggy and cloudy days could provide accurate results.

Vikings living between 900 and 1200AD did not have magnetic compasses, and their ability to navigate was attributed in part to the use of calcite, cordierite or tourmaline crystals which functioned as linear polarizers to help them determine geographic north. The crystals can split sunlight into two beams, and when the crystal is turned, splitting the two beams at the same brightness, a navigator could see the polarized rings around the sun, effectively showing its placement in the sky.

The scientists tested the method by computer simulation by following the sailing routes of 1,000 Viking voyages starting from Hernam (nowadays the Norwegian Bergen) along the 60°21′55″ N latitude, which was the main sailing route of the Vikings to their settlement Hvarf in south Greenland. From Bergen to Greenland, the Viking sailors had to accurately keep the western direction parallel to the 60°21′55″ N latitude.

The study, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, states that sunstones are surprisingly successful even under cloudy conditions - achieving success rates of between 92.2 and 100 percent during spring equinox and summer solstice if a navigator checked the sailing direction every three hours.

(Excerpt) Read more at maritime-executive.com ...


TOPICS: Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: ancientnavigation; calcite; cordierite; crystals; godsgravesglyphs; hungary; iceland; middleages; navigation; polarization; renaissance; stones; sunlight; sunstone; sunstones; thevikings; tourmaline; turmaline; vikings
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-27 next last

1 posted on 04/04/2018 8:49:40 PM PDT by ameribbean expat
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: ameribbean expat

Then why haven’t they won a Super Bowl?


2 posted on 04/04/2018 8:52:58 PM PDT by dfwgator
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: dfwgator

No games played between spring equinox and summer solstice.


3 posted on 04/04/2018 8:57:26 PM PDT by Hieronymus (It is terrible to contemplate how few politicians are hanged. --G. K. Chesterton)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Hieronymus

And they’ve never made it back to the Super Bowl since moving indoors.


4 posted on 04/04/2018 8:58:45 PM PDT by dfwgator
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: dfwgator

Longboats don’t do well without the wind.

That fourth quarter was one of the most agonizing bits of football I have ever listened to. Don’t know why I bothered to listen to the end.


5 posted on 04/04/2018 9:01:37 PM PDT by Hieronymus (It is terrible to contemplate how few politicians are hanged. --G. K. Chesterton)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: dfwgator

Easier for a Viking to find Greenland with a piece of crystal at twilight then finding the end zone in December:)


6 posted on 04/04/2018 9:05:21 PM PDT by OldGoatCPO (No Caitiff Choir of Angles will sing for me)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: ameribbean expat

Josh Gates demonstrated how well Viking sunstones work as a navigation aid on an episode of “Expedition Unknown.”

The Vikings invented the ultimate maritime compass.


7 posted on 04/04/2018 9:05:28 PM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives In My Heart Forever)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ameribbean expat

josh gates did a show on the sunstone- found it to be fairly accurate as well


8 posted on 04/04/2018 9:13:01 PM PDT by Bob434
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Bob434

woops- didn’t read down through the comments- see someone already mentioned it lol


9 posted on 04/04/2018 9:13:49 PM PDT by Bob434
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: goldstategop

I watched that program as well. He definitely proved that the sunstones worked.


10 posted on 04/04/2018 9:16:08 PM PDT by Federal46
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: ameribbean expat

Whatever happened to that guy who had the cool Viking icon? I’d expect him to show up here.


11 posted on 04/04/2018 9:19:36 PM PDT by Beowulf9
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: dfwgator

They’re playing inside the crystal instead of using it for navigation.


12 posted on 04/04/2018 9:26:23 PM PDT by ameribbean expat
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv

Ping.


13 posted on 04/04/2018 9:52:26 PM PDT by Fedora
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Fedora; blam; Jedi Master Pikachu; Palter; decimon; Red Badger

Thanks Fedora! Will ping from home.

https://www.freerepublic.com/tag/sunstones/index


14 posted on 04/05/2018 1:40:54 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (www.tapatalk.com/groups/godsgravesglyphs/, forum.darwincentral.org, www.gopbriefingroom.com)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

https://phys.org/news/2018-04-simulations-viking-sunstone-accurate.html


15 posted on 04/05/2018 3:34:13 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (www.tapatalk.com/groups/godsgravesglyphs/, forum.darwincentral.org, www.gopbriefingroom.com)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: goldstategop

“The Vikings invented the ultimate maritime compass.”

If they were so smart why is it they never figured out how to tack?


16 posted on 04/05/2018 3:53:08 AM PDT by snoringbear (W,E.oGovernment is the Pimp,)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: ameribbean expat

OK - let me get this straight.

Scientist think the Vikings used these stones to navigate on foggy and cloudy days.

And the stones contain crystals that REQUIRE SUNLIGHT to work.

+++++++

“Vikings to navigate on foggy and cloudy days could provide accurate results.

Vikings living between 900 and 1200AD did not have magnetic compasses, and their ability to navigate was attributed in part to the use of calcite, cordierite or tourmaline crystals which functioned as linear polarizers to help them determine geographic north. The crystals can split sunlight into two beams, and when the crystal is turned, splitting the two beams at the same brightness, a navigator could see the polarized rings around the sun, effectively showing its placement in the sky.”


17 posted on 04/05/2018 4:42:33 AM PDT by 2banana (My common ground with terrorists - they want to die for islam and we want to kill them)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: 2banana

Foggy days include daylight. The sun is up somewhere over your horizon, therefore the sunstone can form the two beams and the halo when turned- when the halo is seen at its brightest, even if dull(er) compared to the effect in full sunlight, that is the direction of the sun.


18 posted on 04/05/2018 5:16:16 AM PDT by Manly Warrior (US ARMY (Ret), "No Free Lunches for the Dogs of War")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: 2banana

The crystals collect the diffuse light coming thru the clouds or fog and re-concentrate it into a single fuzzy point...............


19 posted on 04/05/2018 6:29:54 AM PDT by Red Badger (The people who call Trump a tyrant are the same people who want the president to confiscate weapons.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: Fedora; StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; 1ofmanyfree; 21twelve; 24Karet; 2ndDivisionVet; ...
Thanks again Fedora. And just once I'd like to enter a topic where everyone has actually read the excerpt, or better yet the entire article, before running off at the keys with useless, irrelevant, boilerplate (BCE vs BC), or just plain ignorant remarks.
Some sidebars you may find interesting:

20 posted on 04/05/2018 7:23:31 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (www.tapatalk.com/groups/godsgravesglyphs/, forum.darwincentral.org, www.gopbriefingroom.com)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-27 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson