Determination of cardinal directions by shadow. Travel Tips

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Determination of cardinal directions by shadow. Travel Tips

Tourist tips

On a sunny day determine the direction of the world can be determined quite accurately by the shadow from any linear object, for example. stick, post or from yourself.

A line connecting the marks of the tip of the shadow, made after a short period of time, will approximately indicate the direction of east and west. Another method will require several hours of waiting, but it is more accurate.

Fast way (approximate)

Having chosen a flat horizontal piece of land, stick a stick into the ground so that it casts a distinct shadow. The place where the shadow ends should be marked with a stone, a stick, or in any other way. The first marker will always point west.

Wait 15-20 minutes for the shadow to move a few centimeters - the more time passes, the more accurate the line will be - and place a second mark at the end of the shifted shadow.

Draw a straight line through the two marks. This line will be roughly oriented along an east-west axis. The higher the stick, the more accurate the determination of the direction.

Now stand so that the first mark is on your left and the second mark is on your right, then you will look exactly north.

exact way

The second method is more accurate, but requires several hours of observation, so the method is only suitable if you have time, perhaps a day's rest time when traveling through the desert. You need to start observing before the sun rises to its zenith.

Set up a stick or pole in the same way as in the first case, and mark the end of the shadow for the first time.

Stretch the rope between the base of the stick and the first mark and, starting from the mark, draw a semicircle on the ground (clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere).

As the sun rises across the sky and the day approaches noon, the shadow will shrink away from the arc drawn on the ground. The movement will be in an easterly direction. After noon, the sun will begin to lean towards the west, the shadow will begin to lengthen and, finally, touch the arc on the earth. At this point, mark the end of the shadow with a second mark.

Now connect the two labels with a straight line. To determine the north direction, stand in the same way as described above.

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