I thought this might be of interest. Apparently, it's a fabled Viking navigational tool that's able to find the direction of the sun even on a cloudy or foggy day. It's made of naturally occurring transparent calcite.

http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/03/07/...eck-scientists/

That is interesting, thanks.

A shining example of human ingenuity....

An example visible even through the fog and clouds of history!

Has anyone been watching Viking on Hulu? It's a drama, not a documentary. The first two episodes are about an adventurous Viking who, with the aid of the sun board and the sun stone, navigated to Britain. Where he and his crew pillaged and plundered.

Now can they manufacture one? It is small and works even on cloudy days. It would be fun to experiment with.

Just buy some from Ebay:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NP-2-x-Optical...=item19d9a52124

Nice! If it's that common, maybe a local science or minerals store would have it as well.

It will be interesting to watch the follow-on reporting on this.

Thanks for locating this one.

Blake

www.outdoorquest.blogspot.com

I thought the vikings were gone long before the 16th century.

News reports are famous for being selective in the details they include. The artifact in question came from an Elizabethan-era wreck, where its proximity to other navigational gear suggests its use. No actual sunstone has been found with Viking artifacts; the only direct connection is through Norse stories and legends which mention the object and its use.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/...ey-crystal.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunstone_(medieval)