If you are lost at night, or simply wish to navigate at night, the moon can be an important indicator of general direction if you understand its shadows and how it moves across the sky.
Here’s how…
These basic principles are for those living in the northern hemisphere, but is is possible to apply these same principles in the southern hemisphere; however, the north and south compass points will be the opposite.
The reason that we can see the moon’s light at night is because it reflects the light of the sun. The relationship of the moon to the sun can help us use moonlight to determine general direction.
Similar to the sun, the moon will appear to move in a east to west direction as it moves across the night sky, so, the moon moves across the sky in an east to west direction, just as the sun does during the day. Watch where the moon first appears in the sky, and watch where it sets, as the moon will rise in the east and set in the west.
The light of the moon (the reflection of the sun onto the moon) will generally be facing west between sunset and midnight (because the sun sets in the west and is where the light source is originating during this time period).
The light of the moon (the reflection of the sun onto the moon) will generally be facing east between midnight and sunrise (because the sun rises in the east and is where the light source is originating during this time period).
Another rough guide for direction by moonlight is the following…
If the moon is in a crescent phase, simply draw an imaginary line or hold a stick through the tips of its “horns” (from one moon crescent point to the other) down to the horizon.
The point where it touches the horizon is roughly South for the northern hemisphere and North for the southern hemisphere. The higher in the sky, the more accurate this method.
Find your direction by the moon
No comments:
Post a Comment