We live in the northern hemisphere. Except in the area south of the Tropic of Cancer, the sun always shines from the south. In this way, the north-south direction can be easily determined. We all know that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. The sun rises in the east in the morning, sets in the west in the evening, and is in our south at noon.
However, you should not apply this method dogmatically, especially if you are in the southern hemisphere or between the tropic of cancer.
the second kind of compass is the moon.
The crescent moon on the third day and fourth day is low in the west at sunset; On the eighth day of the seventh lunar month, when the sun just went down, it was above our heads. At half moon, as soon as the sun goes down, the moon rises in the east.
at night, the direction of the moon is: the first quarter moon, in the south at 6 pm and in the west at 12 pm. The full moon (14th-18th) is in the east at 6 pm, in the south at 12 pm, and in the west at 6 am the next day. The second quarter moon is in the east at 12 o'clock at night and in the south at 6 o'clock the next morning.
the third kind of compass is Polaris.
Polaris is a compass, and its direction is due north.
but how to find the north star? In fact, it is easy to find the familiar Big Dipper. The Big Dipper is like a water spoon. When the two stars on the side of the water spoon are extended to about five times, there is a brighter star, which is the Polaris.
In the opposite place to Polaris, there is also a constellation Xianhou, which is shaped like the English letter W. It can also help us find Polaris.
around 8 o'clock in the evening, if you can find the North Star with Ursa Major from February to August, it is better to rely on Cassiopeia from December to January.
the fourth kind of compass is trees.
this method is also very easy. For example, in the north of the Tropic of Cancer, the sun shines from the south, and the trees in the south get more heat from the sun than those in the north. Therefore, the branches of independent trees grow luxuriantly and thickly to the south, while the branches to the north are sparse and thin.
it can also be distinguished from the tree rings. The rings face south in width and north in density. Because the south grows faster than the north, the interval between rings is wider.
the fifth kind of compass is snow.
similarly, take our northern hemisphere as an example. The snow on the southern hillside is denser and granular. The snow on the northern hillside is softer and drier.
when the snow melts, the snow on the south hillside is easier to melt than that on the north
Grade 5: Wu Siying.