We know the way: learning the secrets of celestial navigation from ancient travellers

Abstract

Educators are constantly looking for new ways to inspire students to actively engage with science. Learning how to navigate by using the stars, sun and moon can be one of the first steps for pupils, students and the general public to cultivate an interest in astronomy. With this in mind, an online platform based on the Google Earth and Stellarium software has been developed. It presents basic celestial navigation techniques that were first devised and deployed by the ancient Phoenicians and Greeks, the Vikings and the Polynesian travellers. Both software applications are free to use and are available in web versions, making them easily accessible to anyone with an internet connection. The user undertakes a set of predefined tasks that take him/her on a fascinating journey both around the world and back in time.