Video tutorial web site Tinkernut offers a quick introductory video to navigating by the stars. The video actually re-examines a step-by-step from previously mentioned QuietBay, but the video format packages the ideas nicely. The guide only covers the basics—like finding the North Star—but if you’re a novice to the stars, it’s a nice introduction. On the other hand, if you’re an old hand at navigating the night sky, let’s hear your more advanced tips in the comments.
gtarone
Friday, October 3, 2008 at 9:13 AMSo to sound stupid, does this work in the southern part of earth? Say, Australia?
Purple Wyrm
Friday, October 3, 2008 at 1:04 PMDepending on the time of the year you can easily see Orion from the southern hemisphere (including Australia), but the big dipper (Ursa Major) and the pole star (Polaris) are never visible, so you won’t be able to follow the video’s advice to navigate with them. You can find south using the Southern Cross and the pointers, but it’s a bit more complicated.
Also, Polaris isn’t the brightest star in the sky, and Jupiter moves all the way around the sky in an 11 year cycle (ignoring retrograde motion – let’s keep it simple) so it’s not just stuck in Orion.
Milkman
Friday, October 3, 2008 at 2:29 PMFollow Polaris and it will lead you to Connecticut where you will find Justice Mendoza in jail for ‘driving while Hispanic’