3 Ways to Find North Without a Compass

This will probably come in handy some day...

Step 1: Using an Analog Watch:

- First off, you need an analog watch set to the correct time; if it has been adjusted for Daylight Savings set it back an hour

- In the Northern Hemisphere:

• Point the hour hand (the little one) at the sun 
• Imagine there is a line down the middle of the angle between the hour hand and the 12 o clock mark
• The line down the middle of the angle is pointing South; so the opposite direction is North

- In the Southern Hemisphere:

• Point the 12 o clock mark at the sun
• Imagine there is a line down the middle of the angle between the 12 o clock mark and the hour hand
• The line down the middle of the angle is pointing North

Comments

[crazyzebb]

or just ask your G.U.

[Saitu]

Dude, this is frickin brilliant, man! Love it!!!

[M3G]

Thanks!

[MartijnD]

And if it is cloudy and no sun, moon or stars can be seen, you can also look at moss on the base of trees, stones or buildings, this grows where the sun does not shine, so northern hemisphere north, southern south.

[frosty865]

Wow haven't seen those in years! They used to teach that in Army Basic. Good one!

[M3G]

Thanks!

[EducationSmellsSweet]

This is wonderful, I am going to use this information in my classroom, thank you!

[M3G]

You're welcome!

[jfieldsfamily]

Northern Hemisphere, US or CA, urban or suburban environment, look to the satellite dishes.

[zomfibame]

I like the 3rd one, using two sticks to track the movement of a star. Very cool.

[M3G]

Thanks!

[WriterChick]

This is really, really clever. Anything which creates independence from gadgets (allowing that a pair of sticks doesn't constitute a "gadget") is always good. Thank you for sharing.

[M3G]

Thank you!

[jaypauldini]

i always know which way is north. no matter where i am, wierd.

[nailuj]

What about finding the North Star? It seem to me that it would be much easier.

[M3G]

That would be easy, but not everyone knows where it is or what it looks like, and you can't see it in the Southern Hemisphere.

[nailuj]

Hmmmm. Good point.

[XPinG]

Well in the southern hemisphere you can find the south using the Southern Cross please read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crux

[oud25]

would this work with the moon as well?

[M3G]

Good question! I'm not sure, ill have to try it and let you know.

[GhettoEngineer]

In my opinion (I haven't tested) this would not work, as the moon does not orbit based on our time, or rather our time is not based on it's orbit. The reason that the sun works for this, is that our time has been based around its position in our sky. The sun, at noon, is always in the same place (close), while the moon can rise, fall or be at its peak at any time of day or night, depending on its current phase.

[M3G]

Makes sense.

[manuka]

(removed by author or community request)

[manuka]

I'm down here in the South Seas & agree such basic direction finding can be VERY valuable indeed- especially when lost... The best technique depends on how much time you have to wait around &/or observe of course. If a bunch of rascals are chasing you then a shadow tip may waste valuable escape time! A few comments -

* The watch trick is well & good, but few people wear an analog type these days ! Simply face & check the sun ( rises East,sets West) for orientation clues.

* Shadow sticks are dead simple & yield all sorts of insights- seasons & even latitude too.

* Overcast conditions may defeat sky aids, which is when the old "moss on damp side of the tree" trick assists. Naturally such moss (& other shade loving plants) grows best away from the direct sun, so it'll be on the north side "up top" & south side "down under"

* Winds - cruel chilly north wind in northern hemi ( cold southerlies in south)

* MOON - rises East, sets west. Altitude in sky varies with seasons & phase, BUT when facing it at highest point you'll be looking south ( in northern hemi) so north is behind you.

*Animals & insects -this depends on locality of course, but many build nest/lairs to exploit or limit solar pickup. So too do humans - sunniest side of house usually has best aspect/decks etc

Many others ! Stan.

[M3G]

Thanks for your insights! I thought that most people knew that the sun rose in the east and set in the west, so I didn't bother to include it. I didn't include the wind & insect methods, as I thought them a little unreliable. As for the watch method, I agree; less people wear analog watches, but you can always imagine an analog face o your digital watch. It's less accurate, but still works. As for the moss, I didn't know that. Thanks for letting me know!

[repguy2020]

I guess my watch makes me an analogueasaurus.

[manuka]

I recently quizzed a bunch of 11-12 yo. boys about direction finding, & very few appreciated the sun's rise & set compass positions... Sure - they knew where it got up locally, but when well away from home they were confused !

[audreyobscura]

This is great, excellent for night hikes. This is the simplest way I have seen to correlate direction to star movement.

[M3G]

Thank you!