
Why Ship Have Red and Green Balls
The strange box surrounding a ship’s magnetic compass is called a binnacle. Its red and green spheres help identify port and starboard, but their real purpose is connected to keeping the compass accurate.
A magnetic compass is a small magnet floating in low-friction fluid, allowing it to align with Earth’s magnetic field. That worked especially well when ships were made from wood, but steel ships introduce a new problem.
#Binnacle #MagneticCompass #ShipNavigation #MaritimeHistory #CasualNavigation
A magnetic compass is a small magnet floating in low-friction fluid, allowing it to align with Earth’s magnetic field. That worked especially well when ships were made from wood, but steel ships introduce a new problem.
#Binnacle #MagneticCompass #ShipNavigation #MaritimeHistory #CasualNavigation
Casual Navigation
Your Window Into The Maritime World
Casual Navigation creates content that explores many different aspects of the maritime industry, with the aim of making it fun and interesting for anyone to enjoy.
We publish new videos on the Second and Last Friday o...