Did you know that most compasses don't really point to the North Pole? It is true! In fact, most compasses indicate the direction of magnetic north, a point in the Arctic that is close (but not exactly) to the North Pole. In everyday situations, this slight difference is often overlooked, but if you try to get your bearings seriously in wild places, it can present problems. Thankfully, there are several ways of finding true north (the direction that the North Pole indicates) using everything from your computer to nothing but the sun, moon, and stars.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Adjust a Compass for Declination
Step 1. Find your local declination at the National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC)
One of the things that can make it difficult for navigators to distinguish between true north and magnetic north is that the effect on compasses can change over time. This phenomenon is called declination - as the earth's magnetic field fluctuates, the number of degrees the compass will be far from true north will vary accordingly. Therefore, to adjust the compass for this effect, you will need a recent declination value of your position.
Fortunately, the NGDC keeps data on global declination values up to date. On the NGDC website you can enter your location to receive the most recent declination values for your area
Step 2. Alternatively, find your declination on a map
Some physical maps include declination values for the areas shown on the map. Topographic maps are the ones most likely to contain this information, although it can be reported on other types of maps. If you intend to orient yourself with the map and compass, check the map legend to see if it contains accurate declination data.
Note that declination naturally changes over time, so old maps can quickly become obsolete. For more accurate values, use a recently published map
Step 3. Find magnetic north with the compass
Once you understand how much your compass varies from true north, it's not difficult to adjust to this discrepancy. Start by finding magnetic north. Keep the compass parallel to the ground in front of you. If the compass has a travel arrow (usually a thin red arrow at the bottom of the compass) point it forward. Observe the movement of the compass needle. When the needle stops moving, notice the direction it is pointing. This will be the north-south axis.
Most modern compasses have a needle that is half red and half white. In this case, the red tip of the needle is the tip that indicates north
Step 4. Turn the indicator arrow so it points in front of you
If you are orienting yourself with the compass, you should usually adjust the compass crown at this point so that the direction you intend to travel is in front of you, aligned with the travel arrow. In this case, wanting to find north, we will rotate the crown so that the "N" (and the large arrow below it) is directly in front of us.
Note that this is magnetic north, not true north - we still need to adjust the declination
Step 5. Adjust the declination
Move the body until the compass needle lines up with the indicator arrow on the crown (and therefore also the travel arrow). You are now facing magnetic north. To find true north, rotate the crown to the same magnitude and direction as the declination value. Most compasses will have degree indicators on the crown to help you make this adjustment. Then align the needle and the indicator arrow by rotating your body. You should now be facing true north!
For example, let's say we initially got a declination value of 14or And for the area we are in. If we are facing magnetic north, we should rotate the crown 14or eastward (clockwise, in this case). Then we should rotate to the left (which is west) to align the needle with the indicator arrow, leaving us facing true north (14or west of magnetic north).
Method 2 of 2: Finding True North Without Compass
In the Northern Hemisphere
Step 1. Use the movement of the sun
If you don't have a compass, don't worry - it's still possible to find true north using natural signs. For example, since the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, it is possible to use this information to get a rough sense of the north declination. Just after sunrise, keep the sun on your right to face north - just before sunset, keep the sun on your left. At noon the sun will be directly south, so turn to the opposite side to find north.
A slightly more accurate way to find "north" is to use a stick as a kind of sundial. Plant a stick a few centimeters high in the ground and mark the tip of its shadow on the ground. Wait about 15 minutes, then mark the new location. Place your left foot on the first mark and your right foot on the second mark. In this way you will be facing more or less towards the true north, regardless of the declination of your area
Step 2. Use an analog clock
A simple trick to find true north is to use the hands of a non-digital clock. To begin, take off your watch and hold it in your hand with the hour hand pointing forward. Rotate your body so that the hour hand points towards the sun. Find the halfway point between the hour hand and the 12 o'clock mark at the top of the watch. This will indicate the north-south axis.
- For example, let's say it's 4:00 PM. The halfway point between 4:00 and 12:00 is 2:00, so if we point the hour hand towards the sun, the north-south axis will be a little less than a quarter turn to the left. Since it is afternoon and the sun is in the west, we can deduce that the north will be behind us if we are facing the 2:00 mark.
- Don't forget to compensate if there is a change of daylight saving time! If the clock is set for daylight saving time, use the 1:00 indicator instead of 12:00 and proceed as mentioned above.
Step 3. Look for signs in nature
Some organisms of nature (especially plants and trees) can point north. However, it must be clarified that these rules are very "vague" and do not always work, so most of the time other methods are preferred. Here are some examples of what to look for first:
- Moss: It can be thicker on the south-facing sides of the tree, because there is more sunlight.
- Trees: The bark can be lighter and the branches more slender towards the sky on the north side, because there is less sunlight.
- Ants: Anthills can tend to be on the south side, where the sun is warmest.
- Snow: Snow can melt faster on the south side of trees and rocks, where it receives more sunlight.
Step 4. Use the North Star
It's surprisingly easy to find north at night if you know what to look for. The North Star (also called the North Star) is almost perfectly aligned with the North Pole, so if you find it, you'll know exactly where true north is. There are several ways to find the North Star, but the simplest is usually using the Big Dipper - the two stars at the end of the "spoon" portion of the constellation point directly towards the North Star.
Unfortunately, the North Star cannot be seen from the Southern Hemisphere, so it's only okay to orient yourself north of the equator
Step 5. Use the moon
Like the sun, the moon moves across the sky in an east-west direction. This means that you can use the position of the moon to orient yourself towards true north at night. At the beginning of the night, hold the moon on your right to face north; late at night keep it to the left. When the moon is at the highest point in the sky, it is towards the south, so turn away to find the north.
If the moon is waxing, you can also mentally draw a line across the ends to the horizon to find south, then turn the other way to find north. This works best when the moon is high in the sky
In the Southern Hemisphere
Step 1. Use the movement of the sun
Since the light from the sun, moon and stars touches the Southern Hemisphere at a different angle than the Northern Hemisphere, the way to find north is a little different south of the equator. For example, while the sun rises in the east and sets in the west in the Southern Hemisphere as well, it faces north at noon rather than south.
This means that you should always keep the sun on your right after sunrise and on your left after sunset to find north, but you will need to face the sun at noon
Step 2. Use an analog clock
Since the sun forms an arc to the north (rather than a south) in the Southern Hemisphere, the directions for finding north with a clock are basically the other way around. Point the 12 o'clock mark on the watch towards the sun, then find the line that is halfway between the 12 o'clock mark and the hour hand. This will be the north-south axis.
For example, if it is 6:00 PM, we will have a north-south axis running through 3:00 and 9:00 on the clock. Since it is evening, we know that the sun is in the western part of the sky. So when we point the 12 o'clock indicator towards the sun, 3 o'clock will point towards true north
Step 3. Use the Southern Cross at night
The Southern Hemisphere does not have a pole denoting star such as the North Star. The closest equivalent is a constellation called the Southern Cross, which revolves around the celestial South Pole. To find the south, find the Southern Cross and draw a line directly down. This will roughly point south, so rotate the opposite way to find true north.
The easiest way to find the Southern Cross is to use the reference stars - two bright stars in the southern sky that point directly to it. The reference stars can be found in the whitish stripe that is the Milky Way, which is often visible in places with very little light pollution
Step 4. Use the moon
In the Southern Hemisphere the moon moves from east to west, just like the sun. However, at the highest point in the sky it faces north rather than south. This implies that the directions for orientation with the crescent moon are reversed - the line extending across the tips of the moon towards the horizon will point roughly north rather than south.
