Q&A for How to Find True North Without a Compass

It generally works anytime that the sun is out, but don't push it. If you wait until a few minutes before sundown when the tip of the shadow is two hundred yards into the woods, you may have trouble finding it. If you make your first reading an hour after sunrise to an hour before sunset, you should be okay.

You could navigate by finding the star, Polaris. But, you should try to avoid navigating at night unless absolutely necessary.

Assuming that you have two unknown magnets, but you know which direction is north, suspend a magnet from a string or float it in a bowl of water. Mark the end that points north with an "N" and the other end with an "S". Take that magnet and move it near the second magnet. The end of the second magnet that is attracted to the "N" end is the south pole of the second magnet. Mark it with an "S" and the other end with an "N".

You don't need a watch if you are on the equator. The sun will be moving from east to west directly overhead. Simply observe the direction of the sun (the line the sun takes), face yourself in that direction and North will be 90 degrees (perpendicular) to this line on your right.

I presume you're in the northern hemisphere. Orion is on the equator. In order to see Orion high in the sky , you have to be looking south. Therefore, east will be on your left and west on your right. North is in back of you. The center star does not "show north" all by itself. "Hanging down" from the center star of Orion's belt is his sword, made up of what appears to be three stars. There are actually several stars involved, and a galaxy. You can draw a straight line through the sword, the middle star of the belt, his head (Meissa), and the North Star.

if you are lost in the middle of the forest or jungle, look for a spider web where it has a spider on it. Spiders spin their webs to face true south, so true north would be the opposite of what the web is facing.

Sometimes a little sunlight gets past the clouds. If you cant see the shadow, try looking for a place where more light gets through. Still cant find it? Then just wait for the rain to stop.

In the above article, the subject is finding true north. Polaris is positioned right over the physical North Pole of Earth. Magnetic north can be several degrees removed from that pole in several different directions, depending upon where you are on Earth (longitude).

Finding true north can help you find your way to civilization. Before you leave to go in the woods, mark if you are traveling east, west, south or north from your house; true north can help you if you know what direction you came from.

Yes, it does. If the sun rises at a certain time, the watch would need to be in sync with the sun.

Look for lichens or growth on the sides of trees and rocks. (The growth will be on the north side.) At night, draw a line between the tips of the moon. The line hits the earth at due south. (This doesn't work during a full or new moon.)

Moss can grow on multiple sides of a tree, not just north or south, so the moss method is not very dependable.

Look at the branches in trees; they tend to grow longer on the south side. The moss usually grows on the shadowed side of trees, so often on the north side (but you can't rely on that because something else can cause the shadows too).

If the country you are in is above the equator, you're in the northern hemisphere. If not, you are in the southern hemisphere. Look at a map of the world to help you visualize it.

During the night, in the Northern hemisphere you can see the Big Dipper and the Polaris, in the Southern hemisphere you can see the Southern Cross constellation.

Yes, you very well could if you also have something magnetic. You should check out our article on How to Make a Compass .