Navigate without a map or compass

[@philipoakley5498]

Great that you included the Moon navigation examples about the tips of the crescent. It takes a little bit of thought to realise that the moon's bright patch and shadow exactly match the day night shadow on the earth! Finally that while the full moon exactly matches the sun, all the moon motions still follow the basic sweep of the sun at 15 degrees per hour. And not forgetting the moon rises before sunset when waxing (growing toward full moon) and then after the full moon there is commonly a gap between sunset and moonrise, so if you have a walk that might extend beyond dusk, do it in the quarter leading to the full moon (great tip for Nordic skiing;-)

[@philipoakley5498]

Aside: Just seen a different video that suggested that you can used a stick and sunshine to monitor the tip of it's shadow saying it moved directly West to East, which isn't really true here in the northern climates (its starts NE, then East around noon, the SE toward sunset, because of our long shadows (no sun in winter anyway;-). The video was in a 'sandy' climate. Just saying.

[@daviddilley8310]

Good point, shadow moves clockwise in north hemisphere (that's why they have hands of clock move that way) and anti clockwise in southern. Observe the points of shadow long enough you get a rough east - west line. Stars are more reliable as regardless of where you are they move E--> W, so if the stars are moving clockwise, (or L to R as you look at the low ones on the horizon) you are looking south; if they are moving anticlockwise, you are looking N. @@philipoakley5498

[@OutdoorExperience.101]

Good video! Always opposite the Big Dipper is Cassiopeia (in the shape of the letter W). If one of the two constellations is not visible because it is too low on the horizon (hill, trees, etc.) we look for the other (when the Big Dipper is low, Cassiopeia is above the Pole Star and has the shape of the letter M)

[@dfaultkey]

I'm living without a smart phone. This is a real life saver.

[@kenzo2909]

Yea but u using PC/laptop

[@AbdoZaInsert]

@@kenzo2909 then PC is a life saver !

[@kellyburket6955]

...and not having a smartphone helps you navigate???

[@alimenhem3348]

​@kellyburket6955 u can have gps device or compass and you can navigate

[@EctoMorpheus]

​@@kenzo2909woah you should work for the FBI. Amazing investigation skills

[@NoyAtkinson]

Some years ago I spent a short time in the Moroccan desert. It’s quite amazing after a few days out of civilisation how you could easily tell the time from the rotation of the stars, they were of course very visible there. It was quite easy to imagine ancient people navigating by the stars and moon plus there’s no need to be cooked by the sun whilst you’re walking.

[@jameskelly2559]

What a great series of videos. love your work

[@adwarfsittingonagiantsshoulder]

Excellent video, thanks !

[@Nightingale-dc9pd]

Navigating with natural objects is truly a fascinating skill! I knew the role of orion and sun in navigation but the role of moon and ursa constellation are new navigating ways for me! Thanks for sharing this amazing knowledge! Lots of love from Pakistan!

[@damienhyland5951]

It's called the big dipper because of the handle being similar to the big dipper carnival ride, some good interesting knowledge, you learn new things every day. Good job 👍🏾

[@TheMapReadingCompany]

Thanks Damien I've learnt something about carnival rides

[@bgray8410]

Thank you for this. Really informative!

[@TheMapReadingCompany]

You're very welcome!

[@Zolliecard]

That was so great thank u so much for teaching us this little tid bit. Can’t wait to teach my kiddos

[@knutzzl]

If you know your destination but not your bearing, ask a local for direct. There language can give you a guess as to your current location and there pointing is as good a way as any.

[@ElleYaHU]

Thank you for this! It's beautiful to learn!

[@TheMapReadingCompany]

Glad it was helpful!

[@adriancarabajal7115]

The day a visit England again, I will take your course.

[@dm9860]

Good video, practice in familiar area is important before you need it. It's called big Dipper cause it looks like a big pan with a handle. I also use cassiopeia to find Polaris. The angle of Polaris to the horizon is equal to ur latitude above the equator. This is when you are in the north hemisphere. In winter months I use Orion's belt to locate the southern Star. In the summer I us Scorpius to find the southern Star. Double check south by if 180 degrees from Polaris. Map and compass important. The more you know about navigating the less chance of u getting lost. Hike with other people more experienced learning is important. Sun, moon stars are solar . Compass is magnetic. Magnetic declination varies around the earth. I suggest everyone take a class or course to learn map reading and compass and navigating before you go into the woods. Also good to take a safety survival course. 🤗

[@Narrifani]

I'll have to try these tips out. Thank you.

[@xionix4]

Didn't know about the moon trick. Thanks. :)

[@allgood6760]

Q:Why wasn't Jesus born in Australia? A:Because they could not 3 wise men and a virgin 1. Point rhe 12 at the Sun and half way between the 12 and hour hand is True North on an analog watch. . 2.We use the South Celestial Pole by finding the Southern Cross(Crux) and tthe 2 Pointers here in the South Hemisphere. Thanks mate from NZ👍🇳🇿

[@JoaoVictor-ru5pb]

Thank you from Brazil 🇧🇷👊 Very useful method the second one

[@littleflower23]

Great video. Loved how you used the Wise Men as examples for following the star. Very helpful information.

[@bushcraftbasics2036]

Thank you for making the video.

[@nikob5899]

Hi, thank you for this brilliant video. Finally, somebody who knows what they are talking about. It's made we want to book one of your map reading courses! I've got a group. I'll be in touch through your website.

[@HypocrisyLaidBare]

@TheMapReadingCompany moss on trees is a very poor navigational tool/aid. I strongly advise against using tree, wall, post, etc. moss growth as an indicator of north or south (dependent upon hemisphere). There are many other reasons moss growth could be on a side which is not North but West or East or even the total opposite, South. The reason for my somewhat weak belief in moss on trees is frowned upon is due to the prevailing logic that the sun warms and dries the south side (in the northern hemisphere) and the inverse in the south. However, this does not take into consideration nature and the natural worlds desire to upset man's imposed norms. Moss will grow anywhere there is moisture, be it damp or soaking wet. Obviously, this will be consistently wet and not drying out when the sun falls upon it, but moss can grow on sides other than north because of wind, exposure to the elements, shade and in a woods in summer with good overhead canopy shading the forest floor from direct sunlight moss can be found all the way around a tree, rock, fence post, etc. I would strongly recommend the avoidance of using moss as a navigational aid in all but the most severe situations and then with some scepticism of its reliability. I'm a former British Army soldier, well drilled and trained in SERE (Survive, Evade, Resist, Extract). I would NEVER rely or use moss unless I had greater than 25 of 30 indications of a direction that's a greater than 80% certain which way north us from all trees surrounding in a wide area and not one localised spot. Ultimately it's upto individuals to decide what they want to do or how to do it, personally, my views are above, use and follow them if you wish, or simply ignore me, its your call.

[@daviddilley8310]

The "shadow stick" method also works with the moon. "Navigating without map or compass" is a wonderful book written by Harold Gatty MANY years ago. It is still in print and worth the price for anyone interested in land navigation. Astral/stellar navigation is also fun and interesting, David Burch gives a pragmatic run down on some basic principles of sea navigation ("Emergency Navigation") easily applicable to land. Maybe overkill for most purposes but fascinating none the less.

[@EctoMorpheus]

Thanks for the tips! The first one has fairly poor reviews on Goodreads (apparently much of the info is simply no longer relevant or not feasible) but the second one looks great. I've been wanting to learn about astral navigation for a while and this looks like the perfect introduction.

[@paulmclaughlin4106]

I always thought it looks like a saucepan too, but apparently it's supposed to be a big ladle, hence big dipper

[@CptnKremmen]

Americans call it 'The Big Dipper'; I believe that they call water ladles (the sort of thing the you would see in a movie on a prison chain gang) dippers. As mentioned earlier here in the UK it's known as 'The Plough'; I expect Big Dipper is more prevalent in the UK now with all the US TV.

[@stehume]

I'm mid 50s and growing up hiking across the moors as a 10 year old kid my dad would teach me navigation and by the stars and he always called it the plough.

[@pacediver2594]

Great explanation,new subscriber

[@Pystro]

I would call moss a "very inaccurate" way of orienting yourself. Something like *90°* expected error? With a _big_ question mark. If you know the time of your local noon (or sunrise and sunset) and use the sun, or you use the moon's position and know the time of moonrise and moonset, then you can determine south basically exactly (or it would be exact, if there weren't the 23.4° ecliptic.) Your error is somewhere between 0 and 23.4° times the cosine of your latitude (0° to 16° in Britain) - it probably depends on the time from lunar zenith and time from the equinoxes too, as you'd have 0° error when the moon is at its highest and during equinoxes. Let's call it *5°* accuracy, for the sake of argument. If you're using sun position and *local* time, then the local time can be off by 1h (if you can account for daylight saving time or know that it's winter), 1.5h (if you can't) and 2h (if you know it's summer but can't do the math to correct for summer time). Which gives you an accuracy of *15°,* 23° or 30°, respectively. If you try to use the "moon's position and the time of moonrise/moonset" method, but only have the phase of the moon to estimate the time of the moonrise/moonset, you'd be off be something like *45°.* So yeah, moss should only be a last ditch solution. Even estimating where the sunlight is coming from in overcast weather and/or under a heavy canopy might be more accurate.

[@BrightonandHoveActually]

Should the sun and watch method be adjusted for daylight saving - and mean south is half way between the hour and and 1 when on British Summer Time? Also there will be a variation because the sun will be due south several minutes later in the west than it is at Greenwich - though not enough to make a significant difference.

[@daviddilley8310]

Yes, and yes.

[@phillippeacock7255]

Sometimes people sit in a lonely cockpit sailing the coast at night, and they pay attention to the moon and constellations for direction, so they don't have to look at their compass all the time. It gives the brain something to think about and to develop awareness of navigation.

[@christopherrowley7506]

To make the sun a little more exact without making it over complicated: look up when solar noon is in your area and memorize that. For me, now that it's daylight savings, it's around 1:40pm (+/- 10 min, I'm ignoring and using an average). 6 hours before that, the sun is due east; 6 hours after due west. So with those reference points (combined with the fact that the sun moves 15 degrees per hour) it's pretty easy to get a fairly accurate bearing of where the sun is at. Now the moon is more complicated! There is a way to do it, and it's even doable in the field, but having a piece of paper to keep track of the math is handy.

[@soulboygabicci5681]

The big Dipper is called the Plough too! ☝😁

[@IronSharpensIron127]

Thank you

[@exploringtheplanetsn]

A quick google search says that moss grows on the north side of trees in the northern hemisphere. But this isn’t obviously a dependent method. So don’t purely rely on this, I would use this as a last resort if I was sure and had other clues as well

[@davidrogers8030]

Judging by the timeline of comments, after 3 years the Algorithm is finally pushing your entertaining introduction to navigation vid - KZbin, the grift that goes on giving. (Ps: Where do the names come from for the wise men? Anyone?)

[@maxmn5821]

I am struggling a little bit with the statement that the line through Moon‘s crescent horns is cutting the horizon roughly in the south. Maybe when the Moon is reasonably high in the sky (near the meridian)? I started thinking about this seeing the waning gibbous rising above the trees yesterday. Admittedly, you talked about crescent, but still.

[@TheMapReadingCompany]

A "crescent" moon points VERY approx. south

[@ruanaich]

Always called it the plough

[@Robert32571]

Ce que vous nommez "Grande Ourse" n'est qu'une partie de la Grande Ourse. En français, nous la nommons "Le grand charriot" (en opposition au "Petit chariot" au bout duquel se trouve la Polaire). Ce que vous nommez "Grande Ourse" n'est que le museau, le cou et les épaules de l'ours. La constellation de la Grande Ourse est bien plus vaste et l'on distingue très bien son corps et ses pattes qui sont plus bas sur l'horizon. Trouvez le livre "Sachez lire les étoiles" de H.A. Rey aux éditions Maritimes & d'Outre-Mer. Il est exceptionnel !

[@CandC68]

The splash screen image should have included something for knowing the time. Sundial, watch, ... Don't forget that there are a lot of younger folks today that can't tell time with a watch/clock that have hands. They grew up digital.

[@TheMapReadingCompany]

I would assume that most people know where the hands of a watch/clock are and how they work. Even if they were more used to seeing the time displayed digitally.

[@EctoMorpheus]

Everyone knows how a clock works, even people that "grew up digital". Many places still have analog clocks around, especially public buildings

[@MindKontrolleProject]

Let's say it's 4 pm and ½ way counterclockwise to the 12 is 2 or clockwise is 8 ????

[@TheMapReadingCompany]

Hi Mike. You take the shortest route to 12. So at 8am you would go clockwise and at 4pm you would go anti-clockwise. Hope this is helpful.

[@simongee8928]

Using a watch to find north / south was a simple thing that all boy scouts were taught - ! 😅 I still use it now if I dont have a compass handy.

[@stewartlancaster6155]

where is that amazing viaduct ?

[@TheMapReadingCompany]

www.about-rivington.co.uk/explore/the-seven-arched-bridge/

[@comingtofull-ageinchrist6736]

The Little Dipper pours into the Big Dipper; are you sure we weren’t looking at the Little Dipper? Polaris, the North Star, is at the end of the handle on the Little Dipper

[@TheMapReadingCompany]

That was the Big Dipper in the video. Oh in England we call it The Plough

[@comingtofull-ageinchrist6736]

@@TheMapReadingCompany I think you’re mistaking the Little Dipper for the Big Dipper! The Big Dipper is much larger and the Little Dipper pours into the Big Dipper, which is much larger than that! I made the same mistake before, but if you search it on the web, you can see what I’m talking about Polaris, the North Star, is part of the Little Dipper. The two pointer stars of the Big Dipper, Merak and Dubhe, point to Polaris, the North Star.

[@SaadAhmad-j7v]

but there are two half lines between 12 and hour clock which one is it

[@TheMapReadingCompany]

I’m sorry, I don’t understand the question. Could you rephrase it

[@EctoMorpheus]

It's a good question. Say it's 8pm in summer. You point the 8 at the sun, and the south will be at the halfway point between 8 and 12. That's ambiguous though: both 10 and 4 o clock are halfway points. But since the sun sets in the west, it'll be the 4 o clock one (since 8pm is close to sunset, you will be pointing westwards with the hour hand. That means that the south will be on your left hand side, i.e. you pick the halfway point that is "earlier in time") EDIT: I see you commented elsewhere that you should take the halfway point that is closest to the 12. So then the above would be invalid, but it seems correct to me... Could you clarify?

[@roysoutdoorlife]

​@@EctoMorpheusthat's a very good point. I was taught to read the clock face backwards, so 4 o'clock would be the halfway mark in your example. Also, if daylight saving is used you need to adjust for that too, so in the UK between the end of March and October one would go half-way between the hour hand and 1 o'clock instead of 12. Hope that makes sense!

[@EctoMorpheus]

@@roysoutdoorlife makes perfect sense, thanks. It was what I assumed from the start until the OP of this comment asked for clarification, and the channel's replies elsewhere that started looking like a contradiction. They still do, but at least it looks like reality is as simple as taking the "backwards" halfway point 👍🏼

[@roysoutdoorlife]

@@EctoMorpheus Glad I could help. I get easily confused by many things but I know the clock trick pretty well! It's also possible to go the other way and work out the time using a compass, but that's a one for another day. This channel is really good, maybe one day The Map Reading Company will cover that one too 😊

[@pirsensor1186]

All you need is a timer to make a rough estimate of where north is. If you are on the northern hemisphere then you know that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. So let's say the sun rises rise at 6 a.m. in the east, then the sun rises at 9 a.m. in the east/south and at 12 a.m. in the south and at 3 p.m. in the south/west and at 6 p.m. the sun sets in the west. If you If you look at your watch at 2:00 PM, if you are lost, you know that the sun is no longer in the south but is turning towards the south/west and with that knowledge you can determine north. And now you wonder what if the sun is not shining, then I will give you this answer. Where the sun shines (even if it hides behind a cloud), the sky is usually brighter than the rest of the environment in the sky.😊

[@mertz7305]

Most underrated video I’ve seen in a while

[@TheMapReadingCompany]

Thanks for the feedback

[@paxaeterna8341]

Thanks for a fun video explanation. FYI, nowhere in the Bible does it specify that there were “ three” wise men, it says “wise men”.😊

[@TheMapReadingCompany]

Oh well, I've learned something today, thanks.

[@coyoteblue9733]

In North America the vegetation on the north side of a Cañon is USUALLY thicker

[@TheMapReadingCompany]

Same in the UK

[@miarosie]

Superb.

[@TheMapReadingCompany]

Thanks a lot

[@dufusrunescape]

do a viking episode. use the sun stone and twilight board

[@soldier-Dave]

In the army I was taught at survival school how to find north by looking at a cow Pat! …yes it works too!! Clue…….it’s to do with which part of the Pat it the driest and the prevailing wind!!

[@TheMapReadingCompany]

I'm going to investigate this 😊 I hope it's true

[@soldier-Dave]

@@TheMapReadingCompany the sun dries the southern part of it so to speak quicker than the northern side of it too apparently.( Probably because at mid-day in the northern hemisphere the sun is southward) .and the bugs that burrow into it for warmth are also more so on the southern side.

[@TheMapReadingCompany]

This is your fault - and my Mrs is not happy with you. I just spent all morning filming a heard of cows waiting for one of them to poo (unusually it took ages before I got the money shot) I have marked it with a bamboo pole. I’ll be back tomorrow to see “it’s” condition 😊😊😊 Honestly if you told my when I was a kid that I would be filming cows pooing in years to come I never would have believed you.

[@soldier-Dave]

@@TheMapReadingCompany excellent! Or should I say excrement!.🤣it’ll be worth it! See which part the sun dries first! ! If it don’t get rained on !

[@stehume]

did you ever follow this up@@TheMapReadingCompany

[@CXt10]

❤

[@guitarnotator]

Do you believe the earth is flat? series question as I have alot of christian friends who do.

[@LockBits-ts6eo]

...and for the people of the southern hemisphere..?

[@TheMapReadingCompany]

I have a whole load of South of the Equator videos planned - Sigma Octantis, etc.. But the list is so long it may take a while, sorry. I only started doing these videos a few months ago (other than the 2 I did years ago) and it's taking quite a while to get through them.

[@mihailvormittag6211]

👍

[@joefoster8288]

It's called the Big Dipper because it looks like a dipping spoon for dipping water from a larger bucket of water. The little dipper is just a smaller dipping spoon. I would prefer to use Harrison's/ Kendall's K4 Chronometer to know my East West location like Captain Cook used. 😆😂

[@mickbrown9021]

There was no K4, but Harrison's H4 😉.

[@meherbabagodinhumanform9414]

💘💘💟💟❣❣

[@tassie7325]

Be careful when presenting information like this on the WORLD WIDE Web because the watch method doesn't work like that in the Southern hemisphere

[@cadenorris4009]

You're right, he should have used the Northern Hemisphere Wide Web.

[@tassie7325]

@@cadenorris4009 OR - explained the differences

[@j_omega_t]

The Bible never says there were three wise men. It lists three gifts, and from that people assume three men. There could have been four!

[@darkeen42]

They didn't navigate to anywhere they finally stumbled upon a couple having a baby and convince them it was the Messiah over the whole thing's imaginary

[@christianpulido8360]

Imaginary you mean like the evolutionary myth that we don't witness in reality?

[@davidrogers8030]

@@christianpulido8360 Witnessed countless times, in the laboratory and in the wild. Even as a fundaligionist you need evilution to explain the Ark, only debate is how much.

[@christianpulido8360]

@@davidrogers8030 science experiments are models and they are based on assumptions. That's why we don't witness organisms adapting and changing over long periods of time in reality. Evolution is a myth and it doesn't exist. You have never observed evolution in reality. Also the bible is the most accurate book in the world. And it's the most sold book in the world as well. How did mankind, animals, plants, and the universe etc come into existence? You don't know right?

[@davidrogers8030]

@@christianpulido8360 I can admit there's lots I don't know, but I do know bacteria (and lots more complex) have been observed evolving over many decades.

[@christianpulido8360]

@@davidrogers8030 There isnt any evidence of Natural bacteria evolving in reality. Scientists are experimenting with Synthetic bacteria like e.coli and Mycoplasma etc in the lab.