Orientation in the countryside

The annual rings on tree stumps are usually denser on the north side than on the south side. Lichens on the trunks of lonely trees usually grow on the northwest side.

The snow melts from the southern slopes. The snow is therefore held for the longest on the northern slopes during spring melting. Sunflowers follow the Sun, even when the sky is overcast. The front of beehives is usually turned to the south by beekeepers. Churches stand with their tower or the main entrance always turned to the west, the altar to the east.

Orientation by the Sun

In the morning the Sun rises in the east, at noon it is above the south and in the evening it sets in the west. In the case of the sunrise and sunset, this is a rough estimation of the direction, which is accurate only on the day of equinox, when the day is as long as the night. The cardinal directions can also be determined by the shadow, if at noon (the Sun is the highest above the horizon and at the same time above the south) we stand back to the Sun, our shadow is oriented to north.

Stick one metre long straight rod vertically into a flat, clear piece of ground. Notice where its shadow falls, and mark the top of the shadow with a pebble or a stick (1). Wait for at least 15 minutes and mark the position of the new shadow (2). Connect the points and you will get the east-west direction, with the first mark (1) facing west. The north-south direction is perpendicular to this line. This method works anywhere during the day if the sun is shining, and in any latitude. Use the method during the journey as a random check.

Another, more accurate method, however, only if you have time, requires you to mark the top of the first shadow in the morning. At this distance, sketch a circular arc, with one metre long rod being its centre. As the noon approaches, the shadow will shorten and move. In the afternoon, when the shadow begins to lengthen, mark the exact point at which the shadow touches the arc. Connect both points and you will get the west-east direction, with the morning point showing west.

Orientation by stars

At a cloud free night, we can orientate by the stars. The North Star (aka Polaris) is a star, which lies nearly in a direct line with the Earth‘s rotational axis and is located directly at 50 degrees above the north horizon (it applies to the geographical coordinates of the Czech Republic).

It is advisable to know some distinctive constellations, e.g. Ursa Major (or a part of it called Big Dipper – an asterism within Ursa Major), Cassiopeia or Orion. Like the other stars of the northern sky, they seem to revolve around the Polaris, but the first two constellations are well recognizable and do not almost set completely. You can also use the apparent movement of other stars to determine your location. Poke 2 sticks of uneven length into the ground so that you have a spot to watch by them (or use a rifle rear sight which you place in a stable position). Over these two fixed points, observe a star for about 15 minutes. You can watch any star, except for the Polaris. After this observation, you will find that the star seems to be moving. From this apparent movement of the star you can deduce the direction, which you are heading to.

In the Northern hemisphere, the following rules apply: when a star rises, you are looking straight to the east. When a star is descending, you are looking straight to the west. When a star moves in an arc way to the right, you are looking south. When the star moves in an arc way to the left, you are looking north. In the Southern hemisphere, these rules are reversed:

Orientation by Moon

The Moon moves in the sky, like the Sun, along the southern part of the sky from east to west. Unlike the Sun, however, the place and time of its rise and setting are governed by the phase it is at. Depending on the time and phase of the Moon, you can easily determine the direction. When daylight saving time applies, time is one hour ahead.

At any phase of the Moon, when it is illuminated only partly, it is possible to roughly determine the southern direction as the intersection of the horizon and the line of the Moon‘s horns.