Viking Sunstone Found

A crystalline sunstone believed to have been used as a Viking Navigation aid was recently identified.

From the National Post Staff:

Researchers believe they may have in their possession a fabled Viking “sunstone” — an fabled device which let the ancient mariners navigate the ocean.

The honed crystal was found in a wreck in the English Channel 30 years ago, but was only recently tested by a team of scientists at the University of Rennes in France. This came after earlier research that suggested sunstones were in fact Icelandic Spars, a unique form of transparent calcite which can double refract light.

It was with that discovery that the team realized the small spar found in the wreck could have been the mythic navigation tool.

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