Question about that 'Viking sunstone' navigation thing

I used to think the whole Viking sunstone story was just a myth, you know... like something from a movie. But then I read about a study from 2018 where researchers tested a calcite crystal on a cloudy day in the Baltic Sea and it actually worked for finding the sun's position. That got me curious, so I dug into how these crystals can split light and create a polarization pattern even under overcast skies. The really convincing part was when they matched it with actual Viking navigation routes between Norway and Greenland. I'm still not 100% sold, but the evidence is way stronger than I expected. Has anyone here actually tried handling one of those crystals themselves, or is it just lab experiments that prove it?

2 comments

2 Comments

claire4436d ago

Wait wait wait, someone actually carved their own replica and tried it in real time? That is wild. I figured it was all just scientists in a lab with fancy equipment, not some random guy at a lake with a hunk of calcite. The fact that it completely failed on a really overcast day is kinda telling though, makes me wonder if those old sagas were maybe exaggerating a bit.

the_max6d ago

Actually saw a guy at a museum event who carved his own replica from calcite and tried navigating a local lake with it. Said it worked okay on partly cloudy days but completely failed when it was really overcast. Makes you wonder if the Vikings only used them as a backup tool rather than the main method.