Lighthouse Stars

Google has announced that their latest version of Google Earth now includes Google Sky, a impressive Star Map with 200 million galaxies and images from the Hubble space telescope.

Believe it or not, stars and Lighthouses share a common purpose.

Stars were the natural Lighthouse guides of the universe guiding mariners who discovered America. In the late 1500s, instruments were developed to measure the altitude of the sun or stars above the horizon to help mariners determine their latitude. Navigators also measured the time traveled to determine their longitude at sea. By using the position of the stars, moon, and sun, mariners charted their position at sea.

Later, American Lighthouses were constructed as blinking and winking Light Signs for mariners to determine their position along the coastal waterways as well as guiding them safely to harbors or away from dangerous headlands, islands, shoals, or reefs. The latest GPS technology has not replaced the visual security and comfort of historic Lighthouses for many mariners.

Exploring and finding the location of your favorite Lighthouse is easy with Google Maps. New England Lighthouse Blog provides links to Google Maps for featured Lighthouses and the Lighthouse Guides at New England Lighthouse Wallpapers were recently updated to include Google Map links.

After “flying” to your favorite Lighthouse in Google Maps or Google Earth, you can explore the heavens for free.

Fore more information, please visit Google Earth version 4.2.

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