Q&A for How to Determine Direction Using the Sun

As long as you account for the seasonal changes for the position of the sun in the sky, where you live shouldn't significantly change your approximate directions. The only place you wouldn't be able to use the sun/shadow techniques are the north and south poles.

If you are facing east, north will be on your left and south will be on your right.

When one is facing the rising sun, the direction to one's right will be south, because the sun rises in the east. Therefore if one faces the rising sun, the direction to one's right will be South.

On the first day of spring and the first day of fall, the sun will rise exactly in the east (or very close to it). It will also set exactly in the west. Now, in reality, it is seldom exact. The reason for this is that the vernal equinox or autumnal equinox can occur at any time of the day. In the spring, for instance, the sun appears to move from south to north. This is a gradual process. Even if the sun happens to rise exactly in the east, by the time it sets in the west it has moved about 1.2 degrees north.

If you face the sun near noon, you are facing south; turn around to face north.

This is an unanswerable question, because the compass is not a sun detector. The compass, or at least the red end of the needle, points to the North Magnetic Pole, which is about fifteen degrees from the Geographic North Pole. Depending on where you are in the world, this can show up as an error of zero to 180 degrees (usually zero to 40 degrees in the United States). While the sun goes on its happy way around the earth, the compass needle holds steady.

When the sun is straight up, it is local noon. Clock noon can be up to one-half hour earlier or later, depending on your longitude.

Point 2 is always your second point, no matter where or when it is marked. Point 1 is your first point. Try an experiment. Go outside your home or in a park Set a stick in the ground as shown above around 10:00 AM. Put a small rock at the shadow tip every 15-20 minutes until 2:00 PM. These rocks will describe a line. It will show as a “U” in the winter, an upside down “U” in the summer, or a straight line at the equinoxes.

The first step is a one-off. It is only good at first light of the day. The second and subsequent steps are necessary for finding direction at any other time during daylight.