Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes ProCon History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture Money Videos
solar compass
Table of Contents
Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Related Questions
Read Next
In Frankfurt, Germany, a driver uses a car GPS infotainment display system to guide them on a German autobahn. lanes; traffic; navigation; travel; map
How Does GPS Work?
Abstract vector hi speed internet technology background
History of Technology Timeline
Binary Computer Code, Binary Code, Internet, Technology, Password, Data
How Does Wi-Fi Work?
Discover
A Factory Interior, watercolor, pen and gray ink, graphite, and white goache on wove paper by unknown artist, c. 1871-91; in the Yale Center for British Art. Industrial Revolution England
Inventors and Inventions of the Industrial Revolution
A human Inuit skull in a stone chambered cairn in Ilulissat in Greenland. These ancient graves are pre christian and are at least 2000
14 Tough Questions Answered
Thanksgiving Turkey with all the sides
Why Do We Eat Turkey on Thanksgiving?
Santa Claus flying in his sleigh, christmas, reindeer
Was Santa Claus a Real Person?
Thumbnail for flags that look alike quiz Russia, Slovenia, Iceland, Norway
Flags That Look Alike
Title: Senate Square, St. Petersburg, December 14, 1825: repression of the troop mutiny - watercolor by Carl Ivanovitch Kollman, 1825 depicts Decembrist uprising clashing with cavalry, with spectators watching. (new style December 26, 1825) Europe. Saint
8 of the Largest Empires in History
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), Italian Renaissance painter from Florence. Engraving by Cosomo Colombini (d. 1812) after a Leonardo self portrait. Ca. 1500.
10 Famous Artworks by Leonardo da Vinci

solar compass

verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/technology/solar-compass
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Also known as: sun compass
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Article History
Also called:
Sun Compass
Related Topics:
compass
See all related content

solar compass, type of navigational instrument that uses the position of the Sun to establish bearing. The solar compass operates somewhat like a sundial. It indicates direction by employing the angle of the shadow cast by the Sun in conjunction with a compass card, a flat disk marked with points and degrees of direction. The solar compass is useful for navigation in the high latitudes, especially near the poles, where magnetic compasses become unreliable because of unpredictable fluctuations in the horizontal component of the Earth’s magnetic field. A simple form of the solar compass seems to have been devised by the Syrian Arabs of Aleppo as early as the 14th century.