An astrolabe tells directions by using the sun moon and stars to locate position?

Answer 1

The primary tools are the compass, a sextant and a chronometer. The compass allows the ship to steer in a specific direction. The sextant is used to measure the angle between the Sun and the horizon. By measuring that at noon, the point the Sun is directly overhead, it allows one to determine the latitude. With a Chronometer and the appropriate tables, the sextant can be used to calculate the latitude and the longitude using the angles of the various stars.

Answer 2

By identifying star patterns, one can determine which way is North (like with ursa minor and the north star).

Also, by knowing the exact time, you can measure the angle of the star above the horizon and calculate a "line of position" on the earth, based on the altitude of the star. Select two other stars and measure their altitude angles, and you will now have three reference "lines of position". Where the lines cross - that's where you are!

Answer 3

Not quite. An astrolabe is a "primitive" version of a sextant or octant, a device which can be used to measure the angular elevation of an object above the horizon. An astrolabe isn't nearly as accurate as a sextant. You could use it to roughly determine your position, but not directions.

Answer 4

Some simple examples:

• Polaris is always due north when you are north of the equator, from this you can figure out all other directions
• The elevation of Polaris is equivalent to your latitude
• The altitude of the sun at noon gives you the calendar day at any given latitude
• The direction of the sun at noon identifies south
• If you have an accurate clock set to Greenwich mean time you can calculate longitude from sunrise, sun set of noon
• The passage of stars through their zenith can identify time

Answer 5

The astrolabe. See Wikipedia article here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrolabe ________________________ The astrolabe is useful for astronomers, but not so much for navigators. You are referring the the octant, and later, the sextant. An octant is one eighth of a sphere, while a sextant is one sixth of a sphere, and so can measure larger angles.

Answer 6

Sailors often knew the position of the stars at night (like how the northern star is always north) and they would write down which star or constellation they were traveling, so if they go lost, they could use the star's position in the sky to get back home

Answer 7

well not all sailors knew about stars while the navigators needed to know about the stars to navigate the sea so that they could know where they were in relation to different continents such as Asia so that they could get to trade ports

Answer 8

Sailors would have used a few different things for navigation. They may have stayed in sight of land at all times to keep their bearings, or they usually used the stars in the night sky. The main stars used were usually Polaris (the North star) and the stars of the constellation Ursa Minor. Even today there are 57 different stars that are used for navigation both by aviators and sailors worldwide.

Answer 9

so people know where there going.

By Tane and Shenaye : )

No shenaye and tane ; haha

it askes how were they used?
ue fagots why were ue on this for at school ?
what were ue doing in the library ro whatever ?
LOL.

Answer 10

Most of the stars we see are so far away that they seem not to move, even over many years. Therefore, they can be used as directional reference points.