Final answer:
People used stars and constellations as navigational aids, with different civilizations creating their own celestial maps. Constellations acted as landmarks, guiding travelers at sea or on land.
Step-by-step explanation:
Historically, people navigated by interpreting celestial bodies for navigation, specifically by observing the stars and constellations.
To navigate such a vast space, ancient civilizations like the Chinese, Egyptians, and Greeks identified patterns in the stars, creating constellations as guides. These patterns served as landmarks in the sky, akin to how we use latitude and longitude coordinates on Earth maps.
For example, by knowing the position of constellations like the Big Dipper, which points towards the North Star (Polaris), navigators could determine the direction of north. Moreover, astrolabes, which measure the positions of stars, also considerably aided in navigation.