Finding South (Southern Hemisphere)
Directional Navigation Using the Moon
The moon has no light of its own. The light seen from the moon is a reflection of the sun. A fact useful to know when navigating at night.
Look for the bright constellation
Crux, the Southern Cross, which
consists of four stars that form the
ends of the cross.
Imagine a line joining the two stars
at the ‘head’ and the ‘foot’ of the cross.
Extend the line out another four
lengths (x) from the foot of the cross.
This will determine the South Celestial
Pole. Then look straight down from the
South Pole to the horizon. You’ve
found south!
Finding North or South during a
Crescent Moon
Imagine a line connecting the
endpoints of the moon’s crescent and
project it to the horizon. The point on
the horizon indicates South. If you are
in the Southern Hemisphere, this point
indicates North.
Finding East-West
The sun and moon both move across
the sky from east to west. Since the
moon reflects the sun’s light, its bright
side will be ‘pointing’ to the direction
of the sun.
If the moon rises before the sun sets,
the illuminated side is West.
If the moon rises after midnight, the
illuminated side is East