When ships were steered by starlight

For ancient mariners, stars were the original GPS, says Jonathan Powell

Many fine works capture the spirit of sea voyages in the days of sail, such as Sea-Fever, in which the British poet laureate John Masefield (1878–1967) wrote the line: “And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by.” But for that image of a full-rigged ship cutting a foamy ocean swathe to become reality, the crew needed the knowledge and skill to determine the ship’s position at sea and the direction of the next port. There are many accounts from around the globe of humankind’s early sea excursions. In the Mediterranean, the Minoans, Phoenicians and ancient Greeks are documented as making numerous ocean voyages using simple coastal navigation – keeping the shoreline in sight, for fear of becoming lost. However, even then – going…

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BBC Sky at Night United Kingdom (Digital) - 1 Issue, December 2024

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