The discussion revolves around methods to determine the latitude of a location without the use of GPS. Participants explore historical navigation techniques and propose various observational and experimental approaches.
Participants express differing views on the necessity of celestial references for determining latitude, with some advocating for traditional methods while others seek alternatives. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the best approach to the original question.
Some methods proposed rely on specific dates or celestial observations, which may not be universally applicable. The discussion also highlights the challenge of defining the question clearly, leading to varied interpretations and responses.
I like Serena said:Measure how high the northern pole star is above the horizon and bam!
You have your latitude.
Alternatively, measure how high the sun gets at its highest point on March 21st and you have your colatitude.
On another date you need to add a number from a table.
wdlang said:without reference to anything beyond your scope?
jtbell said:Do you mean mean without looking at the sky?
You might consider a Foucault pendulum.
With reference to your original question, "in times of navigation" people did look at the sky in order to determine their latitude, at least in the "Western world". That's what sextants were for.