Ursus Posted November 4, 2011 Report Share Posted November 4, 2011 http://io9.com/5855860/the-secret-of-ancient-viking-navigation-was-transparent-crystals?tag=archaeology Researchers at the University of Rennes in France have put together all the experimental and theoretical evidence they could muster, and they're pretty sure they know exactly what this sunstone was. It was, in fact, a transparent calcite crystal known as Iceland spar. It's found all over its namesake country, and Vikings could have used it to depolarize light, which means the crystal is able to split light along different axes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klingan Posted November 4, 2011 Report Share Posted November 4, 2011 Sorry to say it University of Rennes, but they teach us that during our first year or so in Lund. Thanks for the link thou Ursus, always appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostOfClayton Posted November 4, 2011 Report Share Posted November 4, 2011 For those interested, this was covered very well on Material World (BBC Radio 4's flagship science programme) on 3/11/2011 (that's 3rd November to anyone stateside, not 11th March!!!!!!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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