USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -The gyrocompass, invented in the early 20th century, uses a spinning gyroscope to follow Earth’s axis of rotation to point to true north.

Detailed explanation-2: -Astrolabe. The astrolabe was one of the most important navigation tools and was used by many European explorers, including Columbus and Magellan.

Detailed explanation-3: -Three tools are of particular importance to this time period: lateen sails, the astrolabe, and the magnetic compass. Lateen sails were triangular sails which allowed ships to sail directly into the wind, versus the formerly used square sails that did not allow ships to sail into the wind.

Detailed explanation-4: -Around the year A.D. 1000, Chinese explorers first discovered the magnetic compass. It found its way to Europe about 200 years later, and by the time Columbus and Magellan embarked on their voyages, every seafaring ship had a compass and extra needles.

Detailed explanation-5: -The compass also helped Columbus by improving celestial navigation. In this type of navigation, the sailor observes the skies to measure his latitude on the earth. Each star has a celestial latitude, and if a sailor knew the latitude of a star directly overhead, he could surmise his latitude on Earth to be the same.