Sun compass and how vikings used it
When the sun start to throw a shadow in the morning, a place is marked on the wooden plate. In the middle of the plate is a 10-15 mm long stick. You mark the path of the shadow through the whole day, and you get the curve of the thrown shadow. Where the curve is most far off the center, there is NORTH. You mark it on the plate. Opposite there is SOUTH, and the rest is easy...
Next day you can use your compass. You keep it horisontally in the sun, and turn until the shadow meets the curve. The plate now show you North, all you have to know is if it is morning or evening, because in the morning you use the western half of the curve and in the evening the eastern half.... and of course you must see the shadow.... |
