You never know when a wrong step off the trail might leave you wondering where you are. Whether you wandered off the beaten path or just lost track of time and find yourself trying to navigate after dark, finding your way using stars is a skill that comes in handy. *These tips apply to the Northern Hemisphere.
Option 1: Big Dipper
The easiest way to pinpoint where you are and how to get back to your origin point is to get a sense of direction. One way to do this is by finding true north via Polaris, or the North Star. Locate the Big Dipper in the night sky. Also known as Ursa Major, this constellation is called the Saucepan or The Plough outside the US. It is a distinctive trapezoid shaped bowl with a curved handle.
Find the front tip or edge of the bowl, then follow a straight line from that star. Here you will find the North Star. Once you locate the North Star, face towards it and you’ll be facing north. While the Big Dipper rotates in the sky, sometimes appearing upside-down or sideways, its relation to the North Star stays the same.
Option 2: Try using Cassiopeia
Another way to find Polaris is using the constellation Cassiopeia. This cluster of stars will always be found on the opposite side of Polaris as the Big Dipper, so can come in handy if that constellation is low on the horizon or obscured. Cassiopeia is a group of five stars shaped something like a number 3. Depending on its orientation in the sky it may look like an M or W, but the five stars are large and bright, making it somewhat easy to pick out.
This may sound tricky, but once you get the hang of it, it’s a simple method. Look at the two angles formed by Cassiopeia. Draw an imaginary lines from the center of both angle, as though you are turning them into arrows. Where those two straight lines intersect, is north. If you look directly below this intersection, you’ll once again see Polaris. Cassiopeia makes a great backup to the Big Dipper if you must navigate after dark.
Related article: Common Types of Clouds in the Sky
Featured Image from Jeremy Perkins/Unsplash
