Viking Sunstone

wildchilde

I was watching the 'Vikings' show on the history channel last week, but then I got sick and I guess I missed the rest of it. Anyways, one episode they were talking about the "sunstone" that could be used for ship navigation. Now, today, I see this article that says one has been found in a shipwreck proving that they did exist and were used for that purpose. Turns out it was a Calcite stone. Interesting.

http://science.nbcnews.com/_news/20...one-pulled-from-shipwreck?lite&lite=obnetwork
 

frac_ture

You beat me to the punch here, wildchilde! I just watched the first four episodes of that show online yesterday (I kind of devoured them all in a row...), and I was wondering about their "Sunstone" as well. It's obviously not the same thing that we call Sunstone today -- ours is orange and more opaque, while the thing Ragnar was using looked like nothing so much as a big, thick chunk of ice -- but I wasn't sure what it could really have been. In my own main resources on crystals, it's said across multiple sources that the Vikings used Iolite for this purpose...but Iolite is purple, not clear and ice-like. The stone pictured in the article you linked us to does look pretty much exactly like what was depicted in the series. I feel like I've only ever seen Calcites of various colors, not that clear Calcite Crystal, but it does look like what the History Channel would have us believe those ancient mariners used, according to Vikings. Thanks for posting, and I hope you're feeling better!
 

shelikes2read

Optical calcite makes a double image of what you're looking at when you look through it. But I am having an issue figuring out how they used it to determine what direction the ship is traveling.

I may have to dig my optical calcites out and use them outdoors to see what differences there might be in viewing the sun from different directions.
 

frac_ture

I thought they were trying to say that on cloudy days, when the sun was too obscured to be very visible to the naked eye, their "Sunstone" would sort of magnify what little light was still getting through...and I guess they'd then hold the stone over the sundial in order to facilitate checking the length of the nail's shadow like they would on a totally sunny day? I can't pretend I'm super-clear on the navigational/science-y stuff, to be honest -- I never would have found England...
 

Padma

They also used Iolite for this purpose :) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cordierite
scroll down to gem uses and you will see the Viking reference to it there. Iolite was also referred to as "Viking's compass" because they used it to help navigate on cloudy days.
 

frac_ture

Lotus Padma said:
They also used Iolite for this purpose :) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cordierite
scroll down to gem uses and you will see the Viking reference to it there. Iolite was also referred to as "Viking's compass" because they used it to help navigate on cloudy days.
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Agreed, LP -- that's why I said this:

frac_ture said:
In my own main resources on crystals, it's said across multiple sources that the Vikings used Iolite for this purpose...
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And this:

frac_ture said:
I thought they were trying to say that on cloudy days, when the sun was too obscured to be very visible to the naked eye, their "Sunstone" would sort of magnify what little light was still getting through...and I guess they'd then hold the stone over the sundial in order to facilitate checking the length of the nail's shadow like they would on a totally sunny day?
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Great minds...;)
 

Padma

Lol! I am sorry, Frac_ture, I didn't see that bit about the Iolite! ;p duh...

And yes, great minds - not only think alike, but are well-informed ;)
 

frac_ture

No worries! I just had one of those "Is this thing on...?" moments...

And I actually had this big geeky thrill building up when I'd thought for a second that they were about to unveil a nice purple chunk of Iolite on the show...and then the clear "Sunstone" really let the wind out of my sails. Oh, well...

Glad you're back on the boards, by the way! :)
 

Padma

Lol @ moment of calcite let-down! :laugh:

and thanks for the welcome home, Frac_ture - missed you, too! :heart:

I have to get my butt back into gear on crystal studies, too...oops, sorry, that be an "off-topic" remark! ;)
 

Hemera

Lotus Padma said:
I have to get my butt back into gear on crystal studies, too...oops, sorry, that be an "off-topic" remark! ;)
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Yes it probably is :p
I´m really glad to see you back as well and I am looking forward to your posts. I wonder if we could get the Crystal Study group going again?
 
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