For every tourist, hunter or mushroom picker, the main device that helps you not get lost in an unfamiliar area is a compass. But not everyone has it with them, going to the forest. Therefore, it is important to know other ways to navigate — by the sun, by the stars, using various natural landmarks.
What is orientation?
A variety of situations can occur while traveling or walking for mushrooms. You can get lost both in a dense, dense forest, and in the open steppe. In any case, in order to find the way home, you need to properly navigate in the surrounding space. This means - to be able to determine the sides of the horizon, your position in relation to the nearest settlements and choose the direction of movement towards them. The foundations of this knowledge are laid in the school curriculum.
For orientation in geography, four main directions are designated - north, west, south and east. Over the years of its existence, mankind has developed a large number of different methods for determining the cardinal points. Even in ancient times, people knew the basic principle of how to navigate the sun - the east indicates the place of sunrise, and the west indicates the place of sunset. All ancient maps were oriented to the south, which was determined by the position of the sun at its zenith.
Today, with a compass, it’s very easy to determine the sides of the horizon. In order for this device to be able to fulfill its role, some reference points will be needed regarding which the route will be built.
Sun orientation
Find out where the north, and where the south, and without a compass, if you know how to navigate the terrain in the sun. It will help to make this knowledge of the exact place of its sunrise and sunset at certain times of the year. It is erroneous that the sun rises in the east, and sets in the west.
In fact, in the northern hemisphere this happens only on March 21 and September 23 (equinox days). In summer, the sun appears in the morning on the horizon from the north-east, sets in the north-west, and in the south it happens exactly at noon. Beginning March 21, the sun rises farther north, and with the approach of winter (after September 23) - all south.
Orientation by the sun and shadow
The location of the heavenly luminary in the sky changes throughout the day. Moving from east to west, at noon the sun is above everything. At this time, all surrounding objects cast the shortest shadow for the entire daylight hours, indicating the direction to the north. Determining the cardinal points from a short shadow falling at noon from the trees is one of many ways to navigate the sun in the forest.
If there are no trees nearby, then in order to find out where the north is, you can stick any stick vertically in the ground and see in which direction the shadow is directed.
At other times of the day, you can also determine the side of the horizon by this method. Having stuck a stick about 1 meter long into the ground, it should be noted by any improvised means the place where its shadow ends. After about 15 minutes, when the shadow moves, mark its end again. From the first mark to the second, draw a straight line, which should be continued by one more step. Now you need to stand with your back to the stick so that the left leg is at the beginning of the segment, and the right foot is at the end. In that direction, where you look, and will be north. The error of this method is greatest in the early morning and late evening hours.
How can I navigate the sun and time of day
This method is very simple, it’s enough to know what time the celestial body is at a certain point in the horizon. Be sure to consider the time of year. For example, in the summer, the sun is in the east - at about 6-7 a.m., at 9-10 a.m. - in the southeast, about 13 hours - in the south, at 15-16 hours - in the south-west, and at 21 hours - in North-west.
Clock and Sun Orientation
More precisely determine the side of the horizon will help the most ordinary watch with a dial.
The digital indicator in this case will not work. The clock must be positioned so that the hour hand looks at the sun. Then mentally draw a line dividing the angle from the arrow to the number 1 in half. The continuation of this line will point south. The north, therefore, will be on the opposite side. In the northern regions, the result will be more accurate, in the southern regions the error can be up to 20%.
There is another way to navigate by the clock and the sun. The speed of movement of the sun in the summer is approximately 15 degrees per hour. Considering that it is in the south at noon, at 17 o’clock it will shift to the west by 45 degrees (17-14) x15. It will be half a right angle. It remains only to mentally measure this distance to the left - this will be the direction to the south.
