Compass direction using a watch: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 22:42, 25 April 2008

Revision as of 10:29, 27 April 2008

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== Using a standard watch ==

Using a standard 12-hour watch, such as a wristwatch, one's approximate bearings on the northerNorthern hemisphereHemisphere can be found as follows:

# Rotate the watch such that the hour hand is pointing towards the Sun.

# The point halfway between the hour hand and 12 o'clock then points towards the south.

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During [[daylight saving time]], the same method can be employed using 11 o'clock instead of 12.

On the southernSouthern hemisphereHemisphere, the same holds for the northern direction.

==Explanation==

On the northernNorthern hemisphereHemisphere, at noon, the sun appears in the southward direction. The sun performs its circle in 24 hours, thus with half the speed of a 12-hour watch's hour hand. Therefore the angle has to be bisected.

== Direction-finding watch ==