How to Find North Using the Sun

How to find north precisely using the sun as a guide.

Supplies

• Printed-out reference paper
• Pencil
• Protractor (optional)
• Pointy or cylindrical object that can stand perpendicular to the paper
• Sunny day

Step 1: Printing Out Paper

Print out the attached PDF document. Please print it out in true size or 100% scale. Do not scale or fit the document to the page. Although designed for A4 paper, it can be used with other sizes. Verify the scale using the 30 x 20 mm square in one corner.

Step 2: Find a Good Location

Place the printed-out paper in a place where it gets direct sunlight, and align one side of the paper with a reference plane, which could be the side of a piece of furniture, a wall, or in my case, the window.

Stand a pointy or cylindrical object in the center of the paper, in my case I used a lipstick

Step 3: Marking the Shadow

Mark the tip of the shadow cast by the object, ensuring to note down the date and time of each marking for reference. Repeat this step a few times to enhance accuracy.

Step 4: Find North

Please visit a sun path website such as https://www.suncalc.org.

Locate your exact position on the map and input the date and time of one of your marks to find the Azimuth. Then, calculate 180° minus the Azimuth.

Measure the calculated angle clockwise from the mark of the Azimuth, and anotate. You can use the guided lines on the printed-out PDF to measure without needing a protractor.

Repeat this process with as many marks as you have.

Mark a line from the center of the circle that crosses the annotated points. And that will point to the north on that location.

Note: this calculation works both for the north as well as the southern hemispheres.