In Disney's “Moana,” characters navigate by the celebs, similar to real Polynesian explorers – an astronomer explains how these methods work

If you've visited an island like one in all the Hawaiian Islands, Tahiti, or Easter Island, also referred to as Rapa Nui, you will have noticed how small these landmasses appear in comparison with the vast Pacific Ocean. If you’re in Hawaii, the closest island is greater than 1,000 miles away and the coast of the continental United States is greater than 2,000 miles away. To say these islands are distant is an understatement.

For me: watching the film “Moana“2016 was eye-opening. I knew that Polynesians traveled between several Pacific islands, but watching Moana got down to sea on a canoe made me realize how small these boats are in comparison with a seemingly infinite ocean. But our fictional heroine launched into this journey anyway, just like the countless real-life Polynesian travelers on whom she is predicated.

As an astronomerFor greater than 20 years, I actually have been teaching students and visitors to our planetarium how you can find stars in our sky. As a part of instilling an appreciation for the great thing about the sky and stars, I need people to grasp that if you happen to know the celebs well, you possibly can never wander off.

U.S. Navy veterans learned concerning the stars of their navigation courses, and European cultures used the celebs for navigation, however the Polynesian wayfinding techniques shown in Moana brought these ideas to a really wide audience.

The movie Moana gave me a brand new approach – pun not intended – to my planetarium shows and lessons on finding objects within the night sky. With “Moana 2“I’m looking forward to seeing more astronomy on the big screen and exploring how I can build new lessons using the film’s ideas.”

The North Star

Have you ever found the North Star Polaris in your sky? I attempt to discover it each time I'm out and teach people attending my shows how you can use it “Pointer stars” within the bowl of the Big Dipper to seek out it. These two stars within the Big Dipper point you on to Polaris.

When you take a look at the North Star, you realize you’re looking north. Polaris is special since it is almost directly above the Earth's North Poleand so anyone north of the equator can see it in the exact same place within the sky all 12 months round.

It is a vital star for navigation because measuring its height above your horizon tells you ways far north of the Earth's equator you’re. For the massive number of people that live near 40 degrees north of the equator, you will note Polaris about 40 degrees above your horizon.

If you reside in northern Canada, Polaris will appear higher in your sky, and if you happen to live closer to the equator, Polaris will appear closer to the horizon. However, the opposite stars and constellations come and go along with the seasons, so what you see within the sky opposite the North Star changes every month.

You can use all the celebs to navigate, but to accomplish that you’ll want to know where to seek out them every night of the 12 months and at every hour of the night. Therefore, navigating stars aside from Polaris is tougher to learn.

Maui's fishing hook

At the top of June, around 11 p.m., you may notice a brilliant red star if you happen to look directly opposite the North Star. This is the star Antaresand it’s the brightest star within the constellation Scorpius.

However, if you happen to're a “Moana” fan like me and the remaining of my family, you may know this group of stars by a special name – Maui's fishing hook.

If you're within the Northern Hemisphere, Scorpio may not appear completely above your horizon, but if you happen to're on a Polynesian island, it’s best to see your entire constellation rising within the southeast and reaching its highest point within the sky when it's right within the sky South is and setting is within the southwest.

Astronomers and navigators can measure latitude by the peak of stars, like Maui and Moana did within the movie using their hands as measuring tools.

The easiest method to do that is to learn the way high Polaris is above your horizon. If you possibly can't see it in any respect, it’s essential to be south of the equator, but if you happen to see Polaris 5 degrees (the width of three fingers at arm's length) or 10 degrees above your horizon (the width of your full fist's arm's length), you then are 5 degrees or 10 degrees north of the equator.

The other stars, just like the ones in Maui's Fishhook, appear to rise, set and reach their highest point in other places within the sky depending on where you’re on Earth.

Polynesian sailors memorized where these stars would seem within the skies of the assorted islands between which they sailed, and so by searching for these stars within the night sky they were capable of determine by which direction they need to sail and the way long they need to travel across the ocean.

These days, most individuals simply pull out their phone and use the built-in GPS as a guide. Since Moana has been in theaters, I've seen a totally different response to my planetarium conversations about using the celebs for navigation. By showing exactly how Polynesian sailors used the celebs to sail across the ocean, Moana helps even those of us who’ve never sailed at night understand the methods of celestial navigation.

The first Moana movie got here out when my son was three years old and he immediately liked the songs, story and scenery. There are numerous jokes about parents dreading having to observe their kids' favorite movie over and once again, but in my case, I also fell in love with the movie.

Since then, I would love to thank the storytellers who made this film for taking such care to accurately portray the astronomy of navigation. I also liked that they showed how Polynesian travelers used the celebs and other clues, similar to ocean currents, to sail across the vast Pacific Ocean and land safely on a really small island hundreds of miles from their home.