\n Vikings may have used the sky\u2019s polarization as a navigation tool. Making similar measurements helps students connect science with real life.\n <\/p>\n
It is unclear to historians how Vikings navigated the seas. Centuries before magnetic compasses were introduced to Europe, Viking seafarers traveled long distances to far-flung locations like North America and the Black Sea.<\/p>\n
One explanation, although unverified, is known as the \u201csunstone hypothesis.\u201d This hypothesis suggests that Vikings navigated by using the polarization of the sky to locate the sun, which is often hidden in cloudy northern latitudes. Inspired by this, Karl\u00edkov\u00e1 et al. developed a laboratory activity for undergraduate students to recreate polarization-based navigation.<\/p>\n
Their activity combines two exercises. In the first, students create a sun compass \u2014 which resembles a sundial but rotates to measure cardinal directions rather than time \u2014 to determine the direction of true north. Then, by measuring the polarization pattern of the sky with a polarizing filter, they can estimate the location of the sun even when it is obscured.<\/p>\n
\u201cConnecting physics to real-life or historically meaningful situations is very valuable. It gives abstract concepts a concrete purpose, and students see that ideas like polarization, solar geometry, uncertainty, and instrumental limits are not just textbook topics,\u201d said author Jan \u0160l\u00e9gr. \u201cIn this case, the historical framing also opened up a natural conversation about the difference between a fascinating hypothesis and a reproducible result.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u0160l\u00e9gr says students are more curious and connected with science when testing a historical concept rather than carrying out traditional optics experiments with polarizers and lenses.<\/p>\n
\u201cMore than specific knowledge of astronomy or polarimetry, I hope students take away the importance of testing attractive theories critically,\u201d he said. \u201cThe deeper lesson is that even a beautiful or culturally appealing idea has to survive experimental verification.\u201d<\/p>\n
Source: \u201cViking navigation: From speculative history to laboratory exercise on polarization,\u201d by Kate\u0159ina Karl\u00edkov\u00e1, Jon\u00e1\u0161 Kube\u010dek, Leont\u00fdna \u0160l\u00e9grov\u00e1, and Jan \u0160l\u00e9gr, American Journal of Physics (2026). The article can be accessed at https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1119\/5.0295411 <\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Vikings may have used the sky\u2019s polarization as a navigation tool. Making similar measurements helps students connect science…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":685857,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[49,48,66],"class_list":["post-685856","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-science","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/685856","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=685856"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/685856\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/685857"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=685856"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=685856"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=685856"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}