18/09/2026
OAS Bushwalking 5: “I can find directions without a compass.”
Often when we ask scouts to orient their map, they pause and reach for their compass.
Here’s a quick way to find north using only the Sun and the time.
Hold your watch flat and point 12 o’clock towards the Sun. Find the angle between 12 and the hour hand. The direction halfway between the two is approximately north.
Why does it work?
The Sun appears to move across the sky at roughly 15° per hour, completing 360° in about 24 hours.
The hour hand on a watch moves at 30° per hour, completing 360° in 12 hours (twice as fast).
That’s why you halve the angle between 12 and the hour hand.
For example, at 4 pm, point 12 towards the Sun. The hour hand is at 4. Halfway between 12 and 4 is 2, so the 2 o’clock direction is approximately north.
And you don’t actually need a watch. If you know the time, you can draw a clock face on the ground with 12 pointing towards the sun, mark where the hour hand would be and bisect the angle. You can even visualise an imaginary clock face.
If daylight saving is in effect, use 1 o'clock instead of 12.
It’s an approximation rather than a replacement for a compass. Latitude, season and your position within the time zone can all affect its accuracy. But it’s a great way to demonstrate the relationship between time, the movement of the Sun and direction.
Note, this works for us in the Southern Hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere, the method is reversed: point the hour hand towards the Sun and bisect the angle between it and 12 to find approximately south.
