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Vikings and crystal balls

Ian Sample

London: Vikings may have used special crystals called sunstones to ensure gloomy weather did not come between them and an outing to sack British villages or discover new lands to the west, scientists have discovered.

Tests aboard a research vessel in the Arctic ocean found that certain crystals can be used to reveal the position of the sun, a trick that would have allowed early explorers to ascertain their position and navigate, even if the sky was obscured by fog.

The finding adds weight to the controversial suggestion that the Vikings exploited an unusual optical property of crystals known as birefringence to stay on course during bad weather.

Researchers led by Gabor Horvath at Eotvos University in Budapest spent a month recording the polarisation of sunlight while at sea. Although polarisation is not apparent to the naked eye, it can be seen using birefringent crystals. The researchers found the crystals were likely to work in all but the worst weather conditions, they write in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society.

© Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006

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