Compasses, which indicate direction relative to the Earth’s magnetic poles
, are used in navigation on land, at sea, and in the air. Compasses were being used for navigation by the 1100s, and are still the most familiar navigational tools in the world.
The field of navigation includes four general categories:
land navigation, marine navigation, aeronautic navigation, and space navigation
.
How did explorers know where to go?
Explorers on land and sea began
using compasses
, which were a fairly reliable means of finding direction, except when land masses interfered with the needle’s magnetic properties. Navigators needed to know not only the direction they were heading, but how fast they were traveling in order to estimate where they were.
When the sun set at night
, sailors used the stars to navigate. Stars move across the sky from east to west, and some stars, called rise and set stars, begin and end their nightly path below the horizon. Sailors determined their heading by watching the movement of the stars the same way they watched the sun’s movement.
You can use the navigation buttons
to move through menus
. There are four navigational buttons that you can use to move throughout a menu: up, down, right, and left. Each button corresponds to the direction that you can move in a menu.
As with different ways to describe location, there are also different ways to navigate places. Three main types of navigation are
celestial, GPS, and map and compass
. In order to better understand why we teach map and compass at High Trails, it is helpful to learn the basics of all three techniques.
Navigational instruments refers to the
instruments used by nautical navigators and pilots as tools of their trade
. The purpose of navigation is to ascertain the present position and to determine the speed, direction etc. to arrive at the port or point of destination.
To do this, Columbus used
celestial navigation
, which is basically using the moon, sun, and stars to determine your position. Other tools that were used by Columbus for navigational purposes were the compass, hourglass, astrolabe, and quadrant.
The earliest navigation methods involved
observing landmarks or watching the direction of the sun and stars
. Few ancient sailors ventured out into the open sea. Instead, they sailed within sight of land in order to navigate. When that was impossible, ancient sailors watched constellations to mark their position.
During the Age of Discovery methods of navigation developed quickly because of the need of European explorers venturing to the New World discovered by Columbus in 1492. The instruments navigators used varied and included the
quadrant, astrolabe, cross staff, hourglass, compass, map or nautical chart
, and other devices.
Because circumpolar constellations never rise or set, they
provide reliable reference points for astronavigation
. Knowing the circumpolar constellations in each hemisphere allows navigators to find their way using only the stars.
In fact finding direction using the stars is much quicker and easier than using a compass. It is also a lot more fun. To navigate using the stars all we need do is
find a star that is directly above the place we want to get to and it will point exactly the right direction for us, from quarter of the globe away
.
Tools such as
an hourglass, a quadrant, a compass and a nautical chart
were vital for effective navigation.
How do you operate a boat?
A navigation bar (or navigation system) is a section of a graphical user interface intended to
aid visitors in accessing information
. Navigation bars are implemented in file browsers, web browsers and as a design element of some web sites.
The Navigation bar is the menu that appears
on the bottom of your screen
– it’s the foundation of navigating your phone.
On a website, a navigation menu is
an organized list of links to other web pages, usually internal pages
. Navigation menus appear most commonly in page headers or sidebars across a website, allowing visitors to quickly access the most useful pages.
Navigation is necessary in
ensuring that your website is accessible and usable
. Good navigation will allow visitors to search your site for longer, giving them confidence in where they are and what they can receive from your website. Navigation allows visitors to search with ease.
- Pay Attention. The key to being a proficient navigator is paying attention. …
- Close at Hand. Keep map and compass either on your person or in an easy to reach backpack pocket at all times. …
- Know your Route. …
- Baby Steps. …
- Patience. …
- Landmarks & Time Checks. …
- Pace. …
- Magnetic Declination.
