Before GPS, before the compass, the main way to orient yourself was to be guided by the stars. While current technology makes it easier to find your way around, it's still fun to learn how to do it with the stars. You can find the north, south, east and west by learning where certain stars and constellations are, or you can just pick a star and follow its movements.
Steps
Method 1 of 6: Finding the North Star (Northern Hemisphere)
Step 1. Look for the North Star, the North Star
Polaris is the brightest star in the Ursa Minor constellation. It can be found in the bear's tail (the ancient Greeks and other peoples believed that bears had long tails). The star is called Polar because it appears within the degree of the North Pole and therefore does not appear to move in the night sky.
Today, since the seven stars of Ursa Minor look like a little chariot, most people refer to them as the Little Dipper, rather than the Little Dipper
Step 2. Use other reference stars to help you find the North Star
Although the North Star is visible in the northern sky from most locations north of the equator, it can be difficult to spot if you don't know what to look for. You can use stars in other constellations to point the way to the North Star.
- The reference stars most often used are Merak and Dubhe, two stars at the edge of the Big Dipper, on the opposite side of the handle. By following these two stars in the direction of the mouth of the Big Dipper, you can find the North Star.
- During the night, when the Big Dipper is below the horizon, for example in the early autumn hours, you can draw a line across the stars at the eastern edge of the Great Square of Pegasus, Algenib and Alpheratz (actually part of the constellation Andromeda), and through Caph, the star at the right end of Cassiopeia's W-shape, to find the North Star.
Method 2 of 6: Finding Your Latitude (Northern Hemisphere)
Step 1. Locate the North Star
Use one of the reference star methods to help you.
Step 2. Determine the angle in degrees between the position of the North Star and the northern horizon
The most accurate way to do this is with a quadrant or sextant, which makes you read the angles from its curved section. This angle corresponds to your latitude north of the equator.
If you don't have a quadrant or sextant, you can approximate the angle by extending your fist to the horizon and placing one fist over the other until you reach the North Star. Your outstretched fist is about 10 degrees
Method 3 of 6: Finding the South (Northern Hemisphere)
Step 1. Look for the constellation of Orion
The constellation of Orion, the hunter, resembles a folded hourglass. The stars Betelgeuse and Bellatrix represent the shoulders; the stars Saiph and Rigel represent the knees (or feet). The three stars in the middle, Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka, represent the belt of Orion.
In the Northern Hemisphere Orion is mainly visible in winter and early spring, but can be seen at night late in the fall or before sunrise in the summer
Step 2. Find the sword of Orion if you can
Look for a moderately bright, one dull, and one fuzzy star hanging from Alnilam, the central star of Orion's belt. This represents the sword of Orion, pointing south.
The fuzzy "star" is actually the Great Orion Nebula, an interstellar nursery where new stars are formed
Method 4 of 6: Finding the South (Southern Hemisphere)
Step 1. Look for Crux, the Southern Cross
Even though there is a star near the South Pole, Sigma Octantis, it is too faint to help you find south. Instead, look for the bright constellation Crux, the Southern Cross, which consists of four stars that form the ends of the cross vertically and horizontally.
The Southern Cross is such an important constellation that it is drawn on the flags of Australia and New Zealand
Step 2. Draw a line across the stars of the vertical line of the cross
This will point you south.
Drawing a line through the two stars of the cross you will see the star Alpha Centauri, the closest star to Earth after the sun (this star is also drawn on the flag of Australia, but not on that of New Zealand)
Method 5 of 6: Find East or West (Celestial Equator)
Step 1. Look for the constellation of Orion
As mentioned earlier, the top of the constellation resembles a folded hourglass.
Step 2. Look for the rightmost star in Orion's belt
This star, Mintaka, rises and sets within one degree of east or west.
Method 6 of 6: Orientation by Following the Position of a Star (Anywhere)
Step 1. Drive two poles into the ground
The posts should be approximately 91cm apart.
Step 2. Choose any star in the night sky
You can choose any star, although it would be better to choose one of the brightest.
Step 3. Align the star upward with the tips of both poles
Step 4. Wait for the star to move from the alignment position with the poles
The rotation of the Earth from west to east causes the stars to rotate from east to west. The way the star has moved from its original position will tell you which direction you are looking in.
- If the star has gone up, you are facing east.
- If the star has gone down, you are facing west.
- If the star has moved to the left, you are facing north.
- If the star has moved to the right, you are facing south.
Advice
- The Polar Star is one of the 58 stars used for astronomical navigation by aviators and navigators from all over the world. Some versions of the list exclude the North Star because its nearly fixed position helps navigators find latitude without knowing the position of other stars.
- The Big Dipper is part of the great constellation of Ursa Major. It can be used to find other stars besides Polar. Drawing a line through the reference stars Merak and Dubhe from the Little Dipper leads to a bright star, Regulus, in the constellation of Leo. Drawing an arc from the stars in the handle of the Chariot we arrive at the bright star Arcurus in the constellation Boote, the Bifolco, and then at the star Spica in the constellation of Virgo.
