Want to know how sailors use the stars to find their way? This virtual presentation is designed to make the subject of Celestial Navigation, as practiced by the average blue-water sailor, understandable to the beginner. UNH Marine Docent Nate Hazen will remove some of the mystery and lay out the logical steps in this skill - for those just interested, or for those who wish to embark later on a more serious study.

For New Hampshire’s April school vacation week, when none of us is actually going anywhere, we decided to focus on things we could do if we did have some sort of wild vacation adventure and ended up on a deserted island-

Maybe at this point, despite how much fun it might be on a deserted island, you’ve decided you want to go back home again. Whether that’s in a boat that has miraculously appeared (or you decide to accept this week’s Saturday STEM Challenge) or because you’ve finally figured out how the Professor on Gilligan’s Island made a radio out of coconuts and now you can broadcast a message asking for help, you need to know where you are before you can get home.

There are two pieces of information you need to determine that: your longitude and your latitude.

Today, we continue our Vacation Week theme of “deserted island” with a story about navigation and wayfinding. Join one of our museum educators as she reads the Scholastic children’s book The Big Dipper by Franklyn M. Branley, with illustrations by Molly Coxe!