Early Explorers Research Paper

On your first day of school you probably end up getting lost and requesting for directions. The same situation applies to early transoceanic adventurers, except they couldn't ask anyone for help. To make it across the tough and dangerous ocean, they had to rely on themselves and their crew. Early explorers had to solve their lack of navigation by using different technique and inventions.
A sailor’s natural surrounding helps them when they travel unfamiliar lands. Early explorers use their natural surroundings to find directions since they didn't have any navigation tools. A graphic aid was the most advanced tool at the time. The voyagers had to learn to use this tool by having someone else tell them verbally. Although early pathfinder didn't have any tools when traveling, they did find a way to navigate. These ways include the celestial navigation, winds, currents, the shades of the sea and sky, and overcast formations (Harris). It may have been extremely more difficult, but there was a way to travel without a compass, map, or chronometer, although the help from the astrolabe and pelorus did make it a lot easier. …show more content…
The mariner’s astrolabe was designed specifically for use at sea. A ring cast in heavy brass was marked with degrees along its edge, and an inner disc was rotated to take sightings of stars. The pelorus was like a compass but use the star / land points instead of magnetic pulls. The pelorus is a tool navigators use when crossing the ocean. The pelorus found what direction you are going by using natural surroundings. Polerus were used to double check the compass’s readings. (Beyond the Map| Astrolabes, Pelorus, Backstaff and