Why are Some Cannons Fired at Noon?
The noon or midday gun is a traditional time signal: a cannon fired precisely at midday so ships in port could set their chronometers correctly.…
Tag: celestial
How to Use the Constellation Leo to Find South
From the book, The Hidden Seasons: The constellation of Leo the Lion is a good one to know and he’s a friendly and practical character.…
A Letter and Puzzle from Horatio
I recently received the following intriguing letter, via my publisher. It contains a small weather mystery in the final paragraphs. Please do get in touch…
How to Read Water
Clues & Patterns from Puddles to the Sea A New York Times Bestseller. A Sunday Times “Must Read” book. A must-have book for walkers, sailors,…
The Future of Celestial Navigation
A morning glance at a moody and cloudy twilight led me to laying down some of my thoughts about the key challenges facing celestial navigation…
Which Way Are We Looking?
The last astro quiz proved so popular that I thought we’d do another. This fantastic photo was taken by the expedition photographer, James Walker. Thanks,…
Unidentified Celestial Objects
I quickly reached for my camera when I saw these objects in the sky. The picture was taken without a tripod and so they are…
Stones of Wonder
Just back from a little research in the New Forest. While I gather my thoughts about all the natural clues to wayfinding that the Forest…
The Palais-Royal Cannon
Nothing tickles me more than stumbling across an obscure reference to an arcane relationship between humans and the natural world. The tickling sensation is particularly…
Lion King Astronavigation
Reading the kids their bedtime story is one of the great escapist tactics. Being transported to worlds filled with Power Rangers and Megazords, or preferably…