The location of the cardinal points is easiest to determine with the help of a compass, but this device is not always at hand. Fortunately, there are a few more ways to find the four cherished sides.
It is necessary
Clock
Instructions
Step 1
If you get lost in the daytime, and you have a watch on your wrist, then you can easily determine the cardinal points. The main thing is that the day is sunny enough. To get started, place the watch horizontally: it will be most convenient to put it on your palm. Then turn the watch so that the hour hand points directly to the sun. Now mentally divide the angle between the hour hand and 12 o'clock (for winter time) or hour (for summer time) in half. The drawn imaginary bisector will indicate the direction to the south. For example, if you get lost around 4pm in winter, the south-pointing line will pass through the number 2 on your watch face.
Step 2
If you get lost around noon (about 1 pm DST), it will be even easier to determine the location of the cardinal points. To do this, stand with your back to the sun and spread your arms to the sides. Behind you there will be south, in front (where the shadow falls) will be north, the left hand will point to the west, and the right to the east.
Step 3
The cardinal directions can also be determined by the movement of the sun. In the early morning - at 7 o'clock - it appears in the east. By 10 am the sun is in the southeast. At one in the afternoon (and at noon in winter) it is in the south. At four o'clock in the sun, you can determine the direction to the southwest, and at seven in the evening the star will be in the west. However, in winter, when the sun rises later and sets earlier, it can be quite problematic to determine the east and west by its movement.
Step 4
If you need to determine the cardinal points at night, then in this case minimal knowledge of astronomy will be useful to you. If the night sky is clear enough and the stars are clearly visible, you can determine the location of the north. To do this, you will need to find the North Star and mentally draw a plumb line from it down to the earth. The resulting point will show you the direction to the north. If you have difficulty finding the North Star, then first find the constellation Ursa Major. Notice the stars that form the bucket. More precisely, on two of them, which are located on the opposite side of the handle of this bucket. Now mentally measure the distance between these two stars and set it aside five times upward from the bucket, continuing the line formed by these stars. So you will find the last star in the handle of the Ursa Minor's bucket - Polar. However, this method will only work in the Northern Hemisphere.
Step 5
If the moon is visible in the sky, then its location in the sky will help to find the cardinal points. First, determine the phase of the moon: the first quarter (growing crescent, whose "horns" look to the left), the second quarter (full moon) or third quarter (aging crescent, looking like the letter "c"). If the moon is in the first quarter, then at 7 pm it will be in the south, and at 1 am - in the west. The full moon will appear at 7 pm in the east, at 1 am in the south, and at 7 am in the west. The waning moon at 1 am will point you to the east, and at 7 am - to the south.
