Bushcraft and Outdoor Skills


	Survival Navigation

It is true to say that this planet and our heavenly bodies are remarkable. Through time they have been worshiped by man and seen as gods, ever protecting us from evil. The Sun providing life support to man, animal and plants, giving warmth and light in the winter.The Moon providing light at night and a visible reminder of the transition between day and night. The Stars providing ancient gods and idols of worship.

In this day of mobile communications, manned space flight and GPS, a survivor can still rely on the heavenly bodies for help. Each having their own character, sustain ability and assistance to the survivor in his quest to preserve life and return home safely. Each of these heavenly bodies can be used in their own special way as a navigational aid, with their own degrees of accuracy.

The Sun

Firstly we will take a look at the sun, which of all the heavenly bodies is probably the most accurate. It is widely known that the sun rises in the East and sets in the West, however this is not exactly correct, seasonal variations and sun rise time’s effect were the sun is when first seen. For example in the summer the sun rises early in the morning, so if you see the sun rise you may not be looking Due East, but in an Easterly direction. In the winter you may watch the sun rise later than normal, however you may be observing the sun rising a more South East direction. What is true is that when the sun is at its highest point in the sky it is due south and this takes place at midday, so at this point the sun is at 180 degrees. Now the sun is extremely predictable and has a movement which not only has been used to set the time zones of the world, it also gives an accurate method of navigation. Now I say movement but in fact it is the earth that moves, not the sun, however the sun is located throughout the sky by an increase of 15 degrees every hour.

The table below shows the location of the sun in accordance with Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

*It is important to take into account all variations according to local and summer time adjustments, although in a survival situation it can be assumed that the sun is due south at midday wherever you are in the world.

*Time*	*Location in degrees*
0300	45 degrees
0400	60 degrees
0500	75 degrees
0600	90 degrees, due East
0700	105 degrees
0800	120 degrees
0900	135 degrees
1000	150 degrees
1100	165 degrees
1200	180 degrees, due South
1300	195 degrees
1400	210 degrees
1500	225 degrees
1600	240 degrees
1700	255 degrees
1800	270 degrees, due West
1900	285 degrees
2000	300 degrees
2100	315 degrees
2200	330 degrees

So here we see a method of using the Sun to gain a direction of travel, however there are many other methods, which we will explore more below.

A simple stick placed into the ground, can give the survivor a West/East indicator. Two methods can be employed the first will give a fairly accurate line, but the second is more accurate, but requires more time to check.

Sun Stick Method One

You need to find a patch of flat ground to use this method. On the ground place a straight stick at least 2 foot in length, ensuring that the stick is upright and not laying at an angle. Once the Sun starts to cast a shadow on the ground, note were the tip of the shadow from the stick falls. Mark the location with a small stone or stick.

Wait at least 15 minutes before marking the next shadow tip. Once it fall, mark the tip in the same way as before. Join the markers by a straight line, this will now give you a West / East line, the first mark being the West. By taking a right angle from the front on the line, you be able to locate South, and a right angle from the rear of the line will indicate North.

Sun Stick Method Two

As already explained this methods is more accurate, however it require the user to know what side of midday he is in.

As before find suitable ground and erect a stick. Now ideally at least an hour before 12 midday you need to mark at shadow. Now you need connect a piece of cordage from the stick to the tip of the shadow. Now using this cord, draw an arc on the ground. Wait until the shadow being cast exactly falls upon the arc, once this is done place a marker on the ground. Now as before join the two lines with a straight line, this will give you an accurate West / East line, the first mark being the West marker. As before you can break it down to form North and South indicators.

You can also use a watch, which will give you a South / North indicator, however the closer you are to the equator the less accurate this method is.

Watch Method

Hold the watch horizontal so that the hour hand is pointing at the Sun. Now dissect the angle between the hour hand and the 12 o clock position. This will now give you a South / North line, the South being the direction away from you.

If you know that you are in the Southern hemisphere you can reverse this method by pointing the 12 o clock position at the Sun and dissecting the angle between that and the hour hand. Again this will give you a South / North line.

The Stars

Now its time to take a look at the Star’s. The Stars can also be used as a navigation aid, due to the fact that they always stay in the same relation to each other no matter what time of year. Although their movement each night is approximately 2 minutes earlier ach nigh, a total of 2 hours per month. So if you look at a star one night at a certain time and observe it location, then look at that Star the following night at the same time it will have moved. Stars move 1 degree per night around the only Star which stays stationary, Polaris or the North Star. In the Northern hemisphere the Stars rise in the East and rotate in an anti-clockwise action around the pole star, setting in the south.

In the Northern skies there are many constellations which are noticeable, constellations which have be identified from father to son from time to time. The main one’s being:

Big Dipper, Plough, Great Bear – This is the central constellation is the night sky which wheels around the North Star very large and easily recognisable. The 2 large star’s Dudhe (X) and Merak (Y) point almost exactly to the pole star, which is approximately 4 time the distance of (X) & (Y).

Cassiopeia, The big W – Shaped like a big W and also wheeling around the pole star on the opposite side to that of the Dipper and about the same sort of distance away. The centre star (X) points almost exactly at the Pole star.

Orion, The warrior – This constellation can be seen from both hemispheres. It rises on its side due East from the equator and sets due west

Now by combining the Dipper and Cassiopeia constellations we can use them to locate the North Star.

Other stars can be used as a survival navigation aid. By observing their apparent movement through the heavens, we can determine the direction we are facing. We need to place two sticks into the ground one being smaller than the other. By lying behind the shorter stick and using the two sticks like a rifle site and taking aim on star we now observe the movement.

If the star seems to be moving up wards then you are facing East.

If the star seems to be falling then you are facing West.

If the star seems to be moving over to the right, then you are facing South.

If the star seems to be moving over to the left, then you are facing North.

The Moon

The moon can be used to give a rough idea of your location by the way and time it rises in relation to the Sun. If the Moon rises before the Sun has set, then the illuminated side is on the West. If the Moon rises after the Sun has set, then the illuminated side is on the East.