Navigation and Astronomy

By: N. PhanR. Yoshioka

S. ChungN. Sheu

Outline

• Lesson 1 – Navigation

• Lesson 2 – Navigation tools

• Lesson 3 – Astronomy

• Activity 1 – An interactive activity

• Test

Navigation

• Pioneers on the Oregon Trail found their way by following landmarks like Hat rock and mountains such as the Rockies

• They used the positioning of rocks, the flowing of water, the direction of the wind, and the footsteps of earlier pioneers that ventured toward Oregon

• They chose weather conditions that were best suited for them to travel in so that they would not get caught in storms (used Almanacs)

Navigation cont.

• The pioneers followed paths that had been gone over many times by other pioneers before them following foot prints that were weathered away over time but still slightly visible to the naked eye

•  Moving toward the west on the Oregon trail was not that hard.  The first method to get there was to use the Sun's direction of movement.  Since the Sun moved to the west, pioneers only had to walk in the direction the Sun traveled. The sun rays would eventually shine brighter in one direction so the pioneers followed the strong rays of light.

Navigation tools

• They used an artificial horizon to calculate the amount of time left in a day

• By using a box is used and filled with mercury. The mercury has a level reflective surface. To prevent the surface from being disturbed by wind, a roof-shaped glass cover made of optically flat glass is often added

• http://www.longcamp.com/horizon.html • In this link it will tell you more about the

navigational tools used on the Oregon trail

Navigation tools cont.

• In combination with the mercury in a box the pioneers used Circle of horizons to find an approximate time left in the day.

• To find the approximate time you would use the mercury in a box and the Circle of horizons to find a triangle. Split the triangle in half and you have the amount of hours in day on your Circle of horizons.

Astronomy

• At night, the pioneers had to rely on the stars.  During the night, pioneers had to first face the North Star, also known as Polaris.  Polaris is the last star on the handle of the Little Dipper.  Another way to find Polaris is to use the Big Dipper. 

Astronomy cont.

• On the front of the dipper bowl of the Big Dipper, the two bright stars that form the front the dipper bowl point to Polaris, a medium bright star.  While facing Polaris, the pioneer's left side would be west and they could go that way to go west.

Journal Entries

• When the trail was wet the wagons got stuck in the muddy ditches formed by previous travelers.

• Rivers, Native Americans, mountains, and other obstacles littered the Oregon trail taking time and resources to cross or go around them.

• Other troubles such as broken wagon parts, sickness, or lack of food presented major problems as well

• http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WWwagontrain.htm • This link provides useful information along with plenty of

journal entries in which you can learn a lot more about the Oregon trail

Activity 1

In this activity you will need:

• A box with a mirror inside

• A Circle of horizons

• An adult supervisor

Activity 1 cont.

The scenario – You are a pioneer on the Oregon Trail and you have just woken up and you want to find out how many hours of daylight there are so that your wagon group can plan for the day.

Use the mirror in the box and the Circle of horizons to figure out how many hours of daylight are left.

Test

You will need another sheet of paper to complete this test. If you answer at least two questions correctly then you pass.

#1. How did the pioneers travel on the Oregon trail in the daylight?

#2. Which instrument(s) did the pioneers use to figure out how many hours of daylight they had left?

#3. How did the pioneers find their way on the Oregon trail at night?