Going on a trip, you need to be prepared for everything. Of course, KLMN in a backpack is undoubtedly important, but ... What is more important is to survive. And how to survive without the ability to navigate the terrain?
Fighting topographic cretinism and gaining orienteering skills is perhaps one of the main skills of a real survivalist.
Well, are you lost in the "three pines"? Then a lesson in orienteering on astronomical objects will help you find your way to your goal.
Sun Orientation
And we will start, perhaps, with our irreplaceable friend - the Sun. It is worth remembering one iron rule: at noon, the Sun in the southern hemisphere is usually located in the north, and in the northern - in the south.
To determine in which hemisphere you yourself are located, take a look at your own shadow. If you are lucky enough to be in the northern hemisphere, then your shadow will move clockwise, in the southern hemisphere it is the other way around.
Drop shadow method
Find a stick one meter long on the ground. Once on a flat surface, stick the stick into the ground. As we can see, the stick cast a shadow.
Leave a mark on its outermost point (X) and wait. After 15 minutes, mark the extreme point of the shadow again (Y). Now connect the two obtained points with a segment: the first point is the west direction indicator. And if you need to move in a north-south direction, then it will be located perpendicular to the XY segment (AB in the picture).
Wrist watch method
Sometimes a mechanical wrist watch becomes not just an accessory, but an indispensable assistant for a survivalist. With their help, we can clearly determine the cardinal directions, which means we can not stray from the intended route.
The clock should show local time, when calculating the location, we miss the existence of the minute and second hands. The method is quite simple and effective.
Directing hour hand directly on the Sun so that an angle is formed between the hand and the number 1 (13 hours). The resulting angle is divided by an imaginary line in half and we get: in front - south, behind - north.
It is important to remember that until 13 o'clock we only share left corner, after - only right.
Moon Orientation
It also happens that the only object in nighttime orientation is the Moon. Having an idea of what phase it is in heavenly body, you can easily determine the cardinal points.
For example, the crescent of the growing Moon (the convex part of the semicircle on the right) is always located in the western part of the sky, and the crescent of the waning moon (the convex part of the semicircle on the left) is always located in the eastern part.
When trying to navigate the terrain with the help of the moon, you should remember that:
- its first quarter is located in the south until 19.00 local time;
- until 22.00 the full moon moves to the southeast;
- at 4.00 she is in the southwest;
- at 7 o'clock in the morning her last quarter moves and settles in the south.
Orientation by the stars
North hemisphere. Polar star
Constellation Ursa Major and Ursa Minor
Do not forget about such a "powerful" landmark as the well-known North Star. Constancy distinguishes it from other stars. She "does not change" travelers with different hemispheres and always remains in the same place.
Throughout the night, the North Star points north with a maximum error of 1.5 degrees. Agree, the error is insignificant, so this landmark is just a godsend for the traveler.
There is an opinion that the North Star is the brightest star in the sky, but this is far from being the case. There are stars much brighter than it.
In order to correctly identify the Guiding (Polar) Star in the star-studded sky, we are looking for the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. These are two so-called buckets.
Now, from the "bucket wall" of Ursa Major, consisting of two stars, we draw an imaginary line to the handle of the Ursa Minor bucket, resting on the very "tail" of the constellation. This is what we are looking for: the North Star.
Cassiopeia
Another option for finding the North Star is the constellation Cassiopeia. It is perfectly visible against the background of the Milky Way. Identification features: Cassiopeia resembles our letter "M" or the English "W".
Drawing a conditional straight line from the central star of Cassiopeia, located on the left, we will definitely see it, the North Star ...
Southern Hemisphere
South Cross
If the survivor is lucky enough to be in the southern hemisphere, then the constellation of the Southern Cross will be an excellent guide for him. Already by the name you can guess that this constellation points to the south pole.
The constellation of the Southern Cross has 4 stars. They fully justify the name given to them, since their location really resembles a cross.
But when orienting along the Southern Cross, you should beware of the "fake" - the False Cross. Distinctive signs of a "fake" are obvious: faded, inexpressive stars and a longer distance between them. Yes, and a little to the left of the "original", as an additional guide, we can find two stars.
To determine the correct course to the south, it is necessary to draw a conditional line through the vertical axis of the Southern Cross. This is done as follows: mentally, draw a line between the reference stars and draw a perpendicular from the central point of this line. The intersection point of two lines (landmark stars and the Southern Cross) will point to the South Pole.
This type of orientation appeared a long time ago, when there were no compasses and other tools. Orientation by the stars good way find north at night, because during the day the stars are not visible. But you should immediately understand that this type of orientation may not always be correct, so it should be taken only as an auxiliary option.
The fact is that at different times of the year the stars behave a little differently and, for example, in December, the definition may turn out to be erroneous, when in March April you can find the right path. So, now we will tell you how to navigate by the stars on the ground if you are lost.
The easiest way
To find the north, one must first find polar star. She will show you to the north. In the picture below you can see that it is on end of Ursa Minor bucket
Therefore, you first need to determine where this constellation is located. If you are having trouble with this, then look for the Big Dipper and set aside on it the same paths as shown in the picture below. As shown in the picture - the path is about 5 times longer than the distance between the side Dubhe and Merak.
After that, you can easily find the North Star, which will point you to the north, and then you will probably figure it out.
moon orientation
There is another way to navigate by the moon. With the help of the moon, you can determine the cardinal points, but again, this should be done in conjunction with other methods. In the first quarter of summer, the moon at 8 pm is in the South, and at about two in the morning - in the West. If we take the end of summer, then from 8 o'clock in the morning - the South, and around 2 o'clock in the morning - the East. When you see the full moon, then determine the cardinal points in the same way
Orientation is a way of determining your position on earth. Now, when the technological progress of mankind is striving and developing upwards, it is probably difficult to imagine a person without communication means of communication. Each of us has some kind of gadget that can help identify in an unfamiliar area. And what to do if you do not have means of communication, GPS navigators and other forms of determining your point on the map. Then it's probably worth thinking about the old ways of determining your position using orientation by the stars, the Sun and the Moon.
Sun Orientation
Determining your position according to the Sun is possible when you fix the sunrise and the beginning of the movement. For orientation in the area with the help of the Sun, you will need some knowledge of the area and geography. The Sun always rises in the East and sets in the West. You can also determine the sun and time. To do this, you need to stick a stick into the ground, preferably in an open area and draw a clock face. You will be able to watch how the shadow of the stick moves on the ground and show the approximate time. The error can be about ten percent. In this way you can determine the direction of the movement of the Sun.
For orientation by the stars are available in different hemispheres in different ways. For the northern hemisphere, orienteering by the stars is the North Star. She is finite not alone in the starry firmament, but she never walks through the starry sky, like other stars and constellations. The polar star always points north, a possible deviation of about one and a half to two degrees. So this is the best landmark in the starry sky in the northern hemisphere.
There is no North Star in the southern hemisphere, and for a landmark it is necessary to adhere to the constellation of the Southern Cross. This constellation consists of four stars and they resemble the shape of a cross. On the right side is another constellation, the False Cross. its stars burn less brightly, and they are located far from each other. Also to the left of the Southern Cross are other landmark stars. In order to determine the south, you need to draw by eye through the vertical axis of the Southern Cross. For these purposes, stars located nearby will be required, they will be a guide for determining the southern star. And that means there will be a Southern polis.
Moon Orientation
To determine your location when the moon shines brightly, it is possible by the growing month. The crescent of the growing month is located in the western part of the sky, the crescent of the waning moon is in the eastern. In the evening, the first quarter of the moon is on the south side of the world. Full moon in the first hour of the day is on the south side. At 7 am, the third quarter is also in the south.
We hope that when you are in an undefined area, you will be able to navigate by the stars and get out of this area. We wish you good luck.
An accurate and reliable reference point for determining the geographic north is the North Star. With its help, you can not only find the north and, accordingly, all other cardinal points, but also accurately determine the latitude, which is due to the fact that this longtime travel assistant is within one degree from North Pole peace.
You can find the North Star different ways. The most common is the definition using the constellation Ursa Major, which is represented by several bright stars located at a great distance from each other in the form of a large bucket. You should take the two extreme stars of the bucket and lay an imaginary straight line through them. Then you need to mark five segments on it to the upper side of the bucket, equal to the distance between these two extreme stars. At the end of the fifth segment, the North Star will be located. It is located at the end of the bucket of the constellation Ursa Minor.
In areas above fifty degrees north latitude, Ursa Major is almost always visible. If for some reason it is not visible, you can find the North Star using the constellation Cassiopeia. It looks like the letter W or M and is symmetrical to the Big Dipper with respect to the North Star. You should take the three brightest stars of Cassiopeia, connect them with an imaginary straight line and draw a perpendicular from its center. The North Star will be at a distance approximately equal to four spans of the M zigzag.
Having found the North Star and determined the direction of your movement, you can fairly accurately maintain the course by choosing any bright star located in the direction of your movement as a guide. However, it should be remembered that the stars revolve around the Polaris at a speed of fifteen degrees per hour, so every twenty minutes you need to check your course and choose a new landmark.
Determination of the north direction by the North Star gives an error of no more than one to three degrees.
There are other constellations in the Southern Hemisphere, and usually in these places they are guided by the constellation of the Southern Cross. It consists of five very bright, criss-crossed stars. In the lower left corner of the Southern Cross is an area devoid of visible stars called Coal Sack, next to which are two bright stars of the constellation Centaur. An imaginary line drawn through the longer axis of the Southern Cross points south.
East and West can be determined using the constellation Orion. It is easy to find it by three bright stars located on the "belt". This constellation is located on the celestial equator, so it rises exactly in the east and sets in the west, regardless of the latitude from which the observation is made. Orion is clearly visible in the winter night sky in the Northern Hemisphere and the summer sky in the Southern Hemisphere.
As you can see, in order to more or less accurately navigate the stars, complex astronomical instruments are not needed at all. All you need is a keen eye and knowledge of the constellations.
Every traveler can catch a moment when there is no compass or GPS at hand, and it is necessary to move at night in search of a suitable place to sleep, or in the desert, when comfortable movement is possible only at night. The moon is not always visible, but in the event of such situations, you can navigate by night luminaries, the trajectory of which is always the same. Orientation by the stars will help not only find the right side of the world, but sometimes even survive.
Of course, you can only navigate correctly with the necessary experience, so before you go on a trip into the wild, it does not hurt to practice how to navigate by the stars, first in a night city.
There are several methods by which you can navigate by the stars.
Northern Hemisphere method
Using the main night landmark - the North Star. This celestial body is the main and only night luminary that never changes its location in the sky. It is an accurate guide, because it always indicates the direction of the north, deviating from the trajectory with minimal errors (1.5 degrees).
It should be remembered that, mistakenly focusing on the brightest star, it can be confused with the planet Venus, since it is brighter than the Polaris. Therefore, in order to find this heavenly body, it is necessary navigate constellations Minor and Ursa Major, popularly known as the "big" and "small bucket".
The polar star is in the extreme point"bucket" Ursa Minor. Since the constellation Ursa Major is always more noticeable than Ursa Minor, to search for the North Star, you can navigate along it: to do this, you need to find two stars along the edges of the "bucket", draw a straight line forward equal to five distances between them, and stumble upon the same " tail" of the bucket of Ursa Minor, which is the North Star.
Navigate by the stars
In addition, you can find the constellation Cassiopeia, which looks like the letter "M" or "W". If you draw an imaginary straight line through the luminary next to the central one, you can also stumble upon the desired North Star. Thus, when the search is successful, orientation in the area will not be difficult: looking directly at the North Star, you will find the south behind you, the east to the right, and the west to the left.
How to navigate by the stars in the southern hemisphere
Star orientation for southern hemisphere occurs in the constellation of the Southern Cross, indicating the southern direction. This constellation represents four celestial bodies arranged in the form of a cross. It is important not to confuse it with the False Cross, located on the right, in which the luminaries are at some distance from each other. To find an indication of the south direction, you need to draw a line along the luminaries that form the vertical part of the cross. In order not to be mistaken, you can wait until the Southern Cross takes a vertical position perpendicular to the horizon, then the south will be directly under this constellation.
Finding other parts of the horizon
In addition to the above, there are additional methods of how you can navigate in nature, wilderness in the starry sky:
- With the help of the constellation Orion
- Ways of orientation by star bodies of any constellation.
Orientation by the stars will help you find an indication of the east or west direction. This can be done using the constellation Orion, which resembles a curved hourglass. It cannot be seen in summer, because the constellation is in the sky during the day. In winter, it can be found by the stars that form its belt in any hemisphere, Orion is located directly above the equator. The right stellar body in his belt, called Mintaka, rises in the east anywhere on Earth and sinks in the west.
Another way is the following: you need to determine the central star in Orion's belt, and also find the stellar body located to the right below it. If you draw an imaginary straight line from this star to the one next to it, located on the left, and then connect the middle of this distance with the central stellar body and continue straight, it will indicate the south direction.
Instructions for orienteering with two pegs
Orientation by the stars can be carried out not only based on the constellations that were named above. In this case, you should use the following tips:
- You need to choose any star that is the most visible in the night sky.
- Next, you should stick two pegs into the ground at a distance of one meter from each other and align their tops in accordance with the chosen luminary.
- It is worth waiting a bit until the selected landmark moves a certain distance from the imaginary line.
Since the stars move along a trajectory from east to west, the following conclusions can be drawn from the movement of the landmark along an imaginary line:
- If the stellar body has risen up from the line formed by two pegs, then the east is in front of us.
- If the luminary has fallen down from the drawn line, we look to the west.
- If it moved to the right side, then to the south.
- When shifting to the left, we look to the north.
In addition, you can navigate Milky Way, visible clear night: for this it is necessary to remember that it runs from north to south.
Thus, if you know the methods of how to navigate by the stars at night, you can not only easily find the right place without using a compass, but also in extreme situation enter civilization.
