Nighttime Navigation: How To Read The Sun, Moon And Stars

Sevelx | February 15, 2016 | General, Survival

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General navigation using the sun, moon and stars is actually a pretty simple process provided that you understand some basic principles.

Such as the fact that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west and thus, if you are in the northern hemisphere, the sun is located due south at noon while, if you are in the southern hemisphere, it’s due north of you at noon.

Also, by noting where the sun rises on your horizon and which direction it is traveling, you can determine the cardinal directions of north, south, east and west. Therefore, because the moon and the constellations also follow approximately the same path, you can use them for the same purpose when navigating at night. But, because Earth’s terrain often forces you to travel a less-than-direct path and, because our celestial bodies continue to move across the sky during the course of the day and night, using them to navigate can be a little tricky. However, there are a few techniques that can make doing so significantly easier.

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Also, provided that you are in the northern hemisphere traveling perpendicular to the sun’s path, if you are traveling north, your shadow will always be in front of you and, if you are traveling south, it will always be behind you. In addition, if you are traveling north or south, your shadow will be longer in the morning and afternoon hours than it is at high noon because the sun’s position is higher in the sky at noon. Therefore, the length of your shadow can also be used as primitive method of keeping track of the time.

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So, in order to locate the North Star, first locate the Big Dipper in the northern sky and then locate the two stars that form the outer edge of the cup (the two stars located farthest from the handle). Next, draw an imaginary line straight through the two stars of the cup’s edge across the sky to the last star in the handle of the Little Dipper. Notice that that star is noticeably brighter than all of the other stars around it. You just successfully located the North Star. When you know that you are facing true north, south will be located behind you, west will be on your left, and east will be on your right.

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