3 Ways to Know the Time without a Clock

2024 Author: Samantha Chapman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 09:13

For many people, knowing the correct time is essential for daily life. If you find yourself in an unfamiliar environment without any kind of watch, however, knowing what time it is could be a matter of safety and survival. Without an alarm or a clock, knowing the exact time may not be possible, but an approximate time can be calculated using the sun, moon or stars.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Position of the Sun

Step 1. Take note of the position of the sun

If you are in the northern hemisphere, look south; if you are in the southern hemisphere, look north. If you don't have a compass, use one of these techniques. In other words, look towards the equator - it's the line the sun generally follows in the sky. It always rises to the east (which is to your left if you are looking south, to your right if you are looking north) and sets to the west.

• If the sun is in the exact center of the sky, it is exactly noon. The expression "sun high" is used because the sun is at its highest point at noon, which corresponds to 12:00, but this is assuming that there is no daylight saving time and that you are in the center of your time zone. For example, in Salt Lake City, Utah (USA), the sun is high at 1:30 pm in the summer because there is a daylight saving time to consider and another thirty minutes to add as the city is that distance away (west) from the center of its time zone.

  

• If the sun is not in the exact center, you will have to do something more to calculate the time. If it is morning, the sun will be in the eastern half of the sky. If it is afternoon, the sun will be in the western half. You can use fractions to divide the sky into hours and find the approximate time.

  

Step 2. Estimate the number of hours between sunrise and sunset

These vary according to the season and the location. Winter days are shorter than summer days: about ten and fourteen hours, respectively. Spring and autumn days tend to be around twelve hours, especially as the equinox approaches (late March or late September).

Step 3. Divide the sun's path into segments

If you look towards the equator, you can imagine the sun following an imaginary arc from east to west, starting and ending at the horizon, even when it is darkened. Ideally divide this arch into equal segments; the number of segments must be equal to the number of hours of the day. If you know there are twelve hours in a day, you should divide the arc into twelve equal parts, six in the eastern half and six in the western half.

• If you have trouble seeing the sky divided into segments, you can use your hand or fist to "measure" the segments. Using your hands, count the number of punches from one end of the bow to the Zenith (the highest point in the sky). Take that number as half of a day. For example, if you counted 9 punches, and you know the day is 12 hours long, nine punches would equal six hours. To figure out how long each punch represents, divide the number of hours by the number of punches. A punch, therefore, is equal to 6 divided by 9 - that is, about 2/3 of an hour (40 minutes). This is the time corresponding to your punch.

  

  Step 4. Determine which segment the sun is in

  Starting from the east, it counts how many segments there are before the one where the sun is. This will tell you how many daylight hours have passed. The segments that the sun has not yet touched will instead indicate how many daylight hours are left. If you know the time of the high sun, sunrise and sunset in your area, you can then estimate the current time.

  • Using the Salt Lake City example given earlier, let's say there are fourteen segments (because it's summer) and the sun is in the ninth segment (from the east). The eighth segment (immediately after the highest point) starts at 1.30pm. The ninth segment starts an hour later, so if the sun is in the ninth segment, the corresponding time is probably between 2.30pm and 3.30pm. When the sun was in the sixth segment, the time would have been between 11:30 and 12:30. With practice, you will be able to estimate the time without dividing the sky.
  • If you used the punch method, count the number of punches from the eastern end of the bow to where the sun is. Multiply this number by the time corresponding to your punch. Let's say you counted three punches from east to west. Three times forty minutes equals 120 minutes or two hours. So two hours have passed since sunrise. If you know the time of sunrise in your area and the season, you can roughly know what time it is.

  Method 2 of 3: Reading the Moon

  

  Step 1. Find the moon

  If the moon is full, follow the instructions to know the time based on the position of the sun. If the moon is new (i.e. you can't see it in the sky) this technique doesn't work.

  

  Step 2. Imagine the moon as a circle divided into vertical stripes

  The number of vertical stripes is equal to the number of hours of the night (from sunset to sunrise), with the first hour on the right edge and the final one on the left. As discussed above, the number of hours at night can vary according to the seasons and location. Suppose the night lasts twelve hours, starting at 18:00 and ending at 6:00.

  Step 3. Read the moon from right to left, following an imaginary half horizontal line

  See where that line intersects the border between light and dark. Make a note of the strip this intersection is in. If as you read from right to left, the moon goes from light to dark, the strip where the intersection is located tells you when the moon will set in the west (waning moon). If the transition is from dark to light, it is possible to determine when the moon will rise in the east (rising moon).

  • In this example, the intersection is at 8 p.m. and the transition from right to left is from light to dark. This tells us that the moon will set in the west at 8 p.m.

    

  • This moon will set approximately 7-8 hours after the sun sets. If the sun is setting at 7 p.m., you can expect the waning moon between 2 and 3 p.m.

    

  • If the moon is a very thin strip on the right, it sets within an hour or two of the night. If you see it, you are probably within the first two of the night, as the moon has not yet completely set.

    

  • If the moon is a very thin strip on the left, it rises within an hour or two before sunrise. If you see the moon in this phase, you can expect the night to end within an hour or two.

    

  

  Step 4. Observe the position of the moon in the sky

  Divide the moon's path into segments, as described for the sun earlier. For the purposes of this example, suppose twelve equal segments corresponding to twelve hours of the night.

  • If you know the time of the rising moon, estimate how many hours (segments) have already passed since it rose in the east. Add these hours to the hour of the rising moon to get the current time. If you know that the moon has risen at 9 p.m., for example, and it's right in the middle of a 12-hour journey, that means it's been 6 hours since 9 p.m. and it's 3 in the morning.

    

  • If you know the time of the waning moon, estimate how many hours (segments) must pass before it sets in the west. Let's say you know the moon will set at 2am in the west. If the moon is about 2 segments from the western end of the arc, it means there are two hours to go before it sets. Two hours before the waning moon (2) is 12 a.m. (midnight).

    

  Method 3 of 3: Polaris

  

  Step 1. Identify the constellation of Ursa Major (the great chariot)

  You will only be able to do this in the northern hemisphere and if the sky is clear. In summer, the Big Dipper will be closer to the horizon.

  

  Step 2. Determine the rotation time

  The two pointers of the great chariot (the two stars furthest from the rudder) are in line with the North Star. This line is like a clock hand, with the North Star in the center of the dial; when looking north, 12 o'clock is at the top of the clock and 6 o'clock is at the bottom. When you imagine this watch, what time is it? Let's say for example that the "hand" falls at 02:30. This is the approximate time.

  

  Step 3. Add one hour for each month after March 7th

  Subtract one hour for each month before March 7. If it is May 7, two months after March 7, you need to add two hours to the rotation time, ie 04:30. To be more exact, add or subtract two minutes for each day after or before 7, respectively. If it's February 2, which is a month and five days before March 7, you need to subtract one hour and ten minutes from 02:30 (i.e. 1:20).

  The reason to focus on March 7 is because the star clock always corresponds to midnight on this date, so this is the "base" date and you have to "set the clock" for any other date

  

  Step 4. Double the hour

  

  Step 5. Subtract the hour from 24

  If the time of the previous step is more than 24, then subtract it from 48. You have to do it because the clock actually goes backwards (counterclockwise) and this is the subtraction that corrects the time. The result will be real time, given in military time. This means that if the result is more than 12, the time system can be converted from 24 to 12 hours.

  

  Step 6. Make the necessary corrections for daylight saving time and for the time zone

  If daylight saving time is on, add one hour. If you live near the western border of your time zone, add half an hour. Likewise, if you live on the eastern edge of your time zone, subtract half an hour. Now you know what time it is!

  Advice

  • Don't forget to make corrections for daylight saving time.
  • Keep track of the time when the sun sets below the horizon. So you can tell what time it is using your hand. Start at the horizon and place your hand flat against the sky. Put your other hand on top of the first. Continue like this until you reach the tip of the sun. Each hand corresponds to one hour. Subtract the number of hands from the moment the sun sets and this is the hour.
  • You can also tell what time it is by looking at the position of the moon.
  • Don't stress yourself out with exact numbers. Due to latitude and longitude, the numbers may not be exact however. Just use this as a handy estimation tool when hiking or outside your yard.
  • If you have the time and the materials, it is possible to build a temporary sundial that will tell you the time.
  • Telling the time based on the position of the sun becomes more difficult if you are in a region where the difference between day and night hours can be dramatic, such as when the sun does not set for part of the summer. Scandinavians and the tribes of the Americas used "indications of the day" - associating the position of the sun with respect to a fixed point of reference indicating a certain time of day.

  Warnings

  • Do not use this method if he cannot allow you to be late, such as for a meeting or to catch a plane.
  • Do not look directly at the sun, as it is very dangerous for the eyes.