Orientation without a compass

The sun

The sun rises roughly in the east and sets roughly in the west (exactly so only at the equinoxes; in summer it rises and sets farther north, in winter farther south). In the Northern Hemisphere, at solar noon the sun is to the south, and shadows point north. With daylight saving time, solar noon falls at roughly 1:00 to 2:00 p.m., and without it, between 12:00 and 1:00 p.m., depending on where you are within your time zone.

Shadow-stick method (Army survival manual)

1. Stick a straight pole about 3 ft (1 m) long into level ground, where it casts a clear shadow.
2. Mark the tip of the shadow with a rock or twig. This first mark is always west.
3. Wait 10–15 minutes until the tip of the shadow moves a few inches and mark the new position.
4. Draw a line between the two marks: it is the approximate east-west line.
5. Stand with the first mark on your left and the second on your right: you are facing north.

Analog watch method (Northern Hemisphere)

Hold the watch horizontal and point the hour hand toward the sun. The line that bisects the angle between the hour hand and 12 points south (the opposite side is north). With daylight saving time, use 1 instead of 12. If your watch is digital, draw a watch face on paper showing the current time. It is less accurate than the shadow-stick method, especially near noon and at low latitudes such as the southern U.S.

The stars

North Star (Polaris), Northern Hemisphere. It sits almost exactly over true north and is the only star that doesn't appear to move. It is not the brightest star in the sky. To find it:

• Big Dipper (Ursa Major): take the two stars at the outer edge of the "bowl" (the "pointers"), draw a line from the lower one through the upper one and extend it about 5 times the distance between them.
• Cassiopeia: five stars in the shape of a crooked "W," on the opposite side of Polaris from the Big Dipper. Polaris is in a straight line outward from the center star of the W.
• Both constellations rotate around Polaris counterclockwise. Polaris sits above the horizon at an angle equal to your latitude (roughly 25° to 49° in the continental U.S.), and one of the two constellations may be low or hidden below the horizon depending on the season and time: use the one you can see.
• Drop an imaginary line from Polaris to the horizon: that's north. Pick a landmark on the ground so you don't lose the direction.

Southern Cross, Southern Hemisphere (only if you travel south of the equator). Five stars; the four brightest form a tilted cross. Extend the long axis of the cross about 5 times its length: that point is roughly over south. Look down to the horizon and pick a landmark.

Polaris (North)