There is an opinion that the compass is an indispensable device for navigating the terrain. However, this is not quite true. In the life of any person, a situation may arise when you need to determine the north, south, west and east without a compass. It is not so difficult and even a child can do it with some preparation. The main thing is to know what are the ways to determine the cardinal points. The most popular of them are the determination of the direction by the sun, with the help of wristwatches, by the stars and by natural signs.
Instructions
Step 1
If you get up at noon with your back to the sun, north is directly ahead. East is on your right and west is on your left. Behind you, respectively, will be south. Recall that at noon the sun is at its highest point for the entire day, called the zenith. You need to understand that during the day the sun is always south of you.
Step 2
You can also determine the south direction with a simple mechanical wristwatch. To do this, point the hour hand at the sun, and then halve the angle formed by the hour hand and the number "one" in the winter or the number "two" in the summer. The resulting direction of the ray dividing the given angle in half and will point to the south. But this method has some error, the error is especially significant if you are in the summer in the southern regions of the country.
Step 3
There is another way to determine the direction of the sun. It is necessary in sunny weather to stick a stick into the ground and mark the position of the end of the shadow. After 20-30 minutes, mark the position of the end of the shadow again. The line drawn between these points indicates the direction from west to east.
Step 4
At night, orientation is carried out by the stars. The main landmark in the sky is the North Star. To find it, we find the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. If we mentally draw a line between the two extreme stars of the Big Dipper and extend this line to the first bright star of the Ursa Minor, we will find the North Star. Facing the North Star, you will look directly north. South will be behind you.
Step 5
Also, the southern direction can be determined by natural signs. The berries ripen faster on the south side, the anthills have a gentler slope on the south side, the tree trunks are lighter and smoother also on the south side. In turn, various mosses and lichens predominate on the northern side of stones and trees. In the springtime, the snow melts faster on the south side of the hill.
