Which instrument was used to determine latitude by measuring the position of the stars?

Which instrument was used to determine latitude by measuring the position of the stars?

• A. Gunpowder
• B. Trebuchet
• C. Mariner's Astrolabe
• D. Odin and Thor

Answer: (C)

The main idea is that your latitude at sea is found by measuring how high a celestial body sits above the horizon. The mariner's astrolabe was specifically made for sailors to sight a star and read its altitude from a marked scale. By taking that angle—often when the star crosses the local meridian or is at a known position—you can convert it into your latitude. In the northern hemisphere, using Polaris as a reference makes this especially straightforward because its height above the horizon roughly equals your latitude. Weapons like gunpowder or a trebuchet don’t provide celestial height measurements, and Odin and Thor are mythological figures, not navigation tools.

The main idea is that your latitude at sea is found by measuring how high a celestial body sits above the horizon. The mariner's astrolabe was specifically made for sailors to sight a star and read its altitude from a marked scale. By taking that angle—often when the star crosses the local meridian or is at a known position—you can convert it into your latitude. In the northern hemisphere, using Polaris as a reference makes this especially straightforward because its height above the horizon roughly equals your latitude. Weapons like gunpowder or a trebuchet don’t provide celestial height measurements, and Odin and Thor are mythological figures, not navigation tools.