# @Penn State University on YouTube

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://youtube.com/watch?v=99RQuQMTFtA
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/28570924-Penn-State-University-youtube
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/5da30e9159.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-01-14T00:00:06.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Penn State University (@pennstate) — https://gondola.cc/pennstate

## Caption

Did Polynesian explorers and voyagers actually use the stars to navigate on the open sea?

Find out how accurate Disney was in their portrayal of the Polynesian explorers from a Penn State astronomer with @PennStateEberly (released Nov. 2024).  

00:24 - How accurate is the portrayal of wayfinding in Moana 2?

01:06 - What is Maui’s fishook? Is that a real constellation?

01:39 - Why did Moana and other characters hold their hands up to the sky while navigating?

02:06 - What clues can you look for when navigating on open oceans?

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Christopher Palma is a Teaching Professor and the Associate Department Head for Outreach in the Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics at Penn State University.  From 2019 – 2023, he also served as the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Students in the Eberly College of Science at Penn State.

https://sites.psu.edu/chrispalma/

For more on Palma’s research and his reactions to Moana 2, check out his piece on The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/in-disneys-moana-the-characters-navigate-using-the-stars-just-like-real-polynesian-explorers-an-astronomer-explains-how-these-methods-work-245321

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The Penn State Eberly College of Science is home to the biological, physical, and mathematical sciences. Through a deep dedication to the sciences, Eberly is empowering individual scientists and addressing large-scale challenges in the ways we teach, the research we conduct, and the community we build: https://science.psu.edu/

@PennStateEberly 

#pennstate #moana #astronomy #wayfinding #navigation #polynesianculture #research

## Stats

- **Views:** 1,787
- **Likes:** 29
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 3

## Credits

| Name | Username | Profile | Role |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Penn State University | @pennstate | https://gondola.cc/pennstate | University |
| Liz Fuhrmann | @ElizabethAFuhrmann | https://gondola.cc/ElizabethAFuhrmann | Social Media Strategist |

## Tags

research, wayfinding, polynesianculture, navigation, pennstate, moana, astronomy

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