Star Navigation of “HOKULE’A”

Abstract

This paper considers the star-navigation of the Polynesian traditional navigation. Nainoa Thompson, who was a current Hawaiian navigator on the ancient model canoe “HOKURE’A”, used Polynesian traditional navigation at the Pacific Ocean. He showed four latitude observation methods and four direction observation methods under this navigation at ocean. These methods using modern celestial navigation were inspected on this paper. He said that the synchronous star setting of Canopus and Rigel showed our position of latitude 13 degrees north. It was confirmed by the setting amplitude that it was right.