3 ms·

It was suggested in the 60s and shown to be possible then - not sure what this group have added.

Someone 16y ago
1. They did an experiment to see how well modern subjects can estimate the position of the sun (answer: very badly) 2. They measured the polarization patterns under similar conditions to check whether there could be sufficient information there to do this better. They think there is. 3. they didn't yet ask subjects to estimate the position of the sun from the 'sky through a polarization filter'. Guessing at the results of #3: I think that humans will do slightly better looking through sunglasses, and expert users could use that in navigation. In the end, I expect that the Vikings used as many cues as they could find to navigate, just like carrier pigeons do (for carrier pigeons, the tricks mentioned in the literature include detecting the magnetic North, using polarization cues to detect the location of the clouded sun, and olfactory cues. They also have a good map of their surroundings that helps them home in on the last 30 miles or so. Because of that, a flight from say 100 miles away need not be dead-accurate in direction to hit that 30-mile radius circle where they know how to get home.
- pbhjpbhj 16y ago
  >I think that humans will do slightly better looking through sunglasses, and expert users could use that in navigation I actually do this, not the sunglasses bit (must try!), the other bit. I'm not very good at navigating in the car. I look at a map of a city before I set out but can't remember road numbers and things. I'll see some landmarks and know from a semi-pictorial memorisation the relative location; I'll look for the sun and use that to navigate. It [mostly] works but only just - I grew up in the country where this sort of thing works better (crossing large fields, navigating woodlands, etc.). I do estimate the location of the sun based on apparent sky brightness when it is overcast. Obviously this doesn't always work (thick cloud, heavy rain, snow on the ground). Also I've never actually done this by the stars though I reckon I could in a pinch. DAE (does anyone else) use sun location to establish compass direction and navigate across cities by dead reckoning??

1. They did an experiment to see how well modern subjects can estimate the position of the sun (answer: very badly) 2. They measured the polarization patterns under similar conditions to check whether there could be sufficient information there to do this better. They think there is. 3. they didn't yet ask subjects to estimate the position of the sun from the 'sky through a polarization filter'. Guessing at the results of #3: I think that humans will do slightly better looking through sunglasses, and expert users could use that in navigation. In the end, I expect that the Vikings used as many cues as they could find to navigate, just like carrier pigeons do (for carrier pigeons, the tricks mentioned in the literature include detecting the magnetic North, using polarization cues to detect the location of the clouded sun, and olfactory cues. They also have a good map of their surroundings that helps them home in on the last 30 miles or so. Because of that, a flight from say 100 miles away need not be dead-accurate in direction to hit that 30-mile radius circle where they know how to get home.

pbhjpbhj 16y ago
>I think that humans will do slightly better looking through sunglasses, and expert users could use that in navigation I actually do this, not the sunglasses bit (must try!), the other bit. I'm not very good at navigating in the car. I look at a map of a city before I set out but can't remember road numbers and things. I'll see some landmarks and know from a semi-pictorial memorisation the relative location; I'll look for the sun and use that to navigate. It [mostly] works but only just - I grew up in the country where this sort of thing works better (crossing large fields, navigating woodlands, etc.). I do estimate the location of the sun based on apparent sky brightness when it is overcast. Obviously this doesn't always work (thick cloud, heavy rain, snow on the ground). Also I've never actually done this by the stars though I reckon I could in a pinch. DAE (does anyone else) use sun location to establish compass direction and navigate across cities by dead reckoning??