Whether you're camping or planning to be technology-free, learning to time your clock is a necessary skill. As long as you can see the sky clearly, you will be able to predict what time it is. Without the clock, your calculations are pretty close, but accurate over a certain time span. Set a time without a clock on days when you are not in a hurry and can do some rough calculations.
Step
Method 1 of 4: Using the Position of the Sun
Step 1. Determine a location where the sun is clearly visible with little obstruction
Areas with lots of trees or buildings can obscure your view of the horizon. Without looking at the horizon, you cannot get an accurate measurement. If you can find a field with no tall objects nearby, you'll get a more accurate reading.
Use this method on a clear day, with few or no clouds in the sky. If the sun is not visible at all, you will have a hard time tracking its position
Step 2. Align your hands with the horizon
Hold your hands while bending your wrists with your palms facing you. Your little finger should be directly parallel to the ground and sky. Hold it as still as possible to get an accurate reading.
- You can use both hands, but you may feel comfortable doing it with your dominant hand.
- Keep your thumbs up. Because they are thicker and slanted than the other fingers, the thumb will spoil your time reading.
Step 3. Stack one hand on top of the other
If there is still room between your hand and the sun, stack the other hand on top of the first hand. Continue stacking one hand on top of the other until it reaches the height of the sun.
- Your hands should not touch the sun but instead touch the bottom of the sun.
- Record the number of fingers as you stack your hands.
Step 4. Add up your fingers
Once you reach the sun, count how many fingers fill the space between the sun and the horizon. Each finger represents fifteen minutes before sunset. Multiply the number of fingers by fifteen to calculate the time.
- If you're measuring the time at the end of the day, you may only need one hand or a few fingers to tell the time.
- Because finger widths vary, the results of this method are only approximate estimates of the actual time.
Method 2 of 4: Making a Sundial
Step 1. Write the numbers 1-12 evenly around the edges of the paper plate
Use a protractor to make the distance between the numbers as even as possible. The numbers should be spaced about 30 degrees. Write in pencil if you need to rewrite the numbers.
Step 2. Make a hole in the center of the plate
To calculate the center, you can fold the disk in half in one direction and then fold the half in the other direction. The place where the two lines cross is the center. Use a pencil to make a hole then glue the pencil right in the middle.
Make sure the pencil is positioned as close to a 90-degree angle as possible by measuring it with a protractor
Step 3. Take your dish outside, and place it on the ground
The pencil shade will calculate the approximate time after being placed outdoors. Find a level ground in direct sunlight, and secure it with rocks or tape.
Step 4. Place your sundial facing north
The sundial must face True North (or 90 N latitude) to determine the time correctly. Use or make a compass to find north. Position your sundial so that the number 12 faces north for an accurate reading.
Step 5. Observe which number your pencil shadow points to
If the emergency sundial is made correctly (with the correct angle of the number and pencil), the number indicated will estimate the time. The sundial time is not completely precise, but it does reflect the time in a 30-45 minute frame.
Step 6. Check the accuracy of your sundial at around noon
Take a moment to use the actual clock to test your emergency sundial. Midday is when the sun is at its highest in the sky and during this time, the pencil shadow should point to 12.
If the shadow is far from 12, mark where the shadow is at midday and adjust accordingly
Step 7. Calibrate your sundial, alternatively
If you have more time and want to make a very accurate sundial, don't write down the numbers on the disc until you put it outdoors. Keep a clock nearby, and check your sundial every hour. As the clock passes, mark the position of the shadow and write down the appropriate time.
Method 3 of 4: Tracking the North Star
Step 1. Find the location of the Big Dipper
At night, go to a location free from bright lights or pollution. Using a compass, find the direction north and stand facing it. The position of the Big Dipper may change depending on your geographic location, but it will be in the northern hemisphere.
- The Big Dipper consists of seven stars shaped like a bowl with a handle. The four stars that make up the bowl are shaped like a rhombus, with the three stars that make up the handle arranged in a line to the left.
- The Big Dipper will be easier (or harder) to spot during some seasons, depending on your location.
Step 2. Use the Big Dipper to find the North Star
Find the two stars that line up to the right of the Big Dipper bowl (Dubhe and Merak). Follow an imaginary line from there up, about five times larger than the line between Dubhe and Merak. When you reach the bright star at this approximate location, you have found the North Star.
Step 3. Imagine the North Star as the center of a large clock in the sky
The North Star (or Polaris) can serve as the centerpiece of a twenty-four-hour clock in the sky. Unlike analog clocks, which move 30 degrees per hour, a clock centered on Polaris will only move 15 degrees per hour. Divide the sky into twenty-four parts, as evenly as possible.
Step 4. Use the Big Dipper to calculate the standard time
After dividing the sky, find a rough time using the Big Dipper as a kind of clockwork. When the star to the far right of the Big Dipper (Dubhe) passes your section, this is standard time.
To calculate the correct time, you must adjust the date
Step 5. Calculate the actual time using a special equation
The calculation you need to use is: (Time = Standard Time – (2 X number of months since March 6)). If the date is March 6, you don't need to do the math. However, on another day, this calculation is very important to produce a more precise calculation.
- For example, if Standard Time is 5 am on May 2, you would use the equation Time = 5 - (2 X 2) to get the result of 1 am.
- This equation is not correct. The actual time could be anywhere within half an hour of your estimated time.
Step 6. Calculate Daylight Savings Time
If daylight saving time is in effect in your time zone, add an hour for those in the eastern half of the time zone. For those in the western hemisphere, add half an hour.
Method 4 of 4: Determining Time Using the Phases of the Moon
Step 1. Use the phases of the moon to estimate time
Determining time by observing the phases of the moon is not as accurate as using a sundial or measuring using the North Star. Based on the current phase of the moon, the moon will only be visible in the night sky for a certain period of time. By knowing the times and paying attention to the current position of the moon, you can find out the current time in a few hours.
Step 2. Avoid measuring with the moon phase during the new moon phase
On a new moon day, you won't be able to find it in the night sky. Therefore, you cannot use its position to estimate the time. Instead, use the North Star method.
Step 3. Estimate the time during the light moon phase for the first half of the night
The first crescent moon is visible in the first quarter of the night and will be visible about three hours after sunset. The young quarter moon is visible for the first six hours. A light convex moon is visible for 6-9 hours after sunset.
If the young quarter moon is halfway through its path in the sky, it will be about 3 hours after sunset
Step 4. Use the full moon to measure the time of the night
During a full moon, the moon will be visible in the sky all night (about 12 hours). Look at the position of the moon in the sky to calculate the approximate time. If the moon is a quarter of the way to sunset, it will be about 9 hours after sunset.
Step 5. Estimate the time during the waning moon phase for the second half of the night
The old crescent moon is visible in the first quarter of the night and will be visible for about three hours before sunset. The waning quarter moon is visible for the last six hours of the night. The old convex moon is visible for 6-9 hours before sunrise.
Suppose, for example, that the old crescent moon has made about a quarter of its journey through the sky. The time means between an hour and an hour and a half before sunrise
Tips
- Check the weather before trying any of these methods. Choose a time when the sky is clear.
- Without using a clock, timing is approximate. You are almost impossible to get the exact time using any alternative method. Try this method for fun, and avoid using it if you need to be on time for something important.
- When exploring the night sky, find a place as far away from the city's pollution as possible.
