The North Star: (Polaris) Celestial Navigation, Navigating using the stars

[jbg43]

If I carried a planisphere why wouldn't I carry a compass?? Just kidding! Good vid!

[McHenryAnge]

Another useful method not often mentioned is the fall/winter constellation of Orion. If you draw trace a line along Orion's belt it will point, generally to the Eastern horizon.

It's an easy matter to develop your own exacting method from there.

Orion will rise in the East, early in the evening during September.

[clementejazz]

how do you do if you are on the southern hemisphere? and another thing is does it matter at what time during the night you do your readings for the North star?

[clementejazz]

how do you do if you are on the southern hemisphere?

[caste2510]

navigating without a compass is very easy... at night u just have to look for the north star and then u get all the other directions... during the day u can use the sun as a a navigator... around midday the sun is always point towards south. just turn around and u are looking north

[ReinaValera1865]

i'm getting a boner just looking at you...is that wrong??

[Just4Th3Lulz]

@ReinaValera1865 very.

[AndromedaChao2]

When it was winter and I started getting to know the constellations' locations, I relied on Orion initially, with Betelgeuse pointing north and Rigel, south

[Jackthesmilingblack]

How do you determine your horizon at night?

[trailkeeper]

The angle (or "altitude") you measure to the North Star (Polaris) is also equal to your latitude (from the equator of 0 degrees).

[mangarox8P]

yay

[vention4wh]

Woa! Thanks for that. I know what a sextant looks like but I never knew just how it worked. I'll probably never need the info but it's interesting.

I'm never without my windows mobile touch screen, onboard GPS, cell phone though. I found the coolest maping software that you don't need a data connection to run. So even outside of the cell network it's still useful. Oh and it's free. I made a video about it.

watch?v=e_2F7nmiB_0

[enjoythewildUSA]

very interesting.

[LadyGalena]

Great tip! Golly, does it look cold there!!

[fatpius]

really enjoy your tips! thanks

[drumgodtim]

I liked the planisphere. I know very little about the night sky.

[goosezbaa]

super cool .love it.