Are you looking to go camping or take a break from your electronics? In these cases, learning to read the time without using a battery clock is a very important skill. As long as the sky is clear, you can tell what time it is. Natural calculations without a traditional clock will give an approximate yet accurate enough time within a given period of time. Use these methods on days when you are unhurried and can work with rough estimates.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Using the Sun Position
Step 1. Get a clear view of the sun with minimal obstruction
Areas with lots of trees or buildings can block the view of the horizon. Without the horizon view, you won't be able to measure accurately. Look for places where there are no tall objects so you can get a more accurate reading.
This method works on sunny days as long as the sky has few clouds or is clear. Not being able to see the sun obviously makes it impossible for you to track it
Step 2. Align your hand with the horizon
Support the arm with the wrist bent and the palm facing you. The little finger should be lined up directly between the sky and the earth. Keep your hand as steady as possible for an accurate reading.
- It doesn't matter which hand you use, but it will be easier to do it with the dominant hand.
- Hide your thumb. The thumbs are thick and angled away from the other fingers, which ruins the reading accuracy.
Step 3. Place your free hand on top of the hand that is already positioned towards the horizon
Place it exactly in the space between the Sun and the other hand, that is, on top of the hand that was already raised. Leave one hand on top of the other until the top one reaches the height of the sun.
- The top hand must touch the base of the Sun, without going over it.
- Keep an eye on your finger count while keeping your hands that way.
Step 4. Count total fingers
When reaching the base of the Sun, count how many fingers fit in the space between it and the horizon. Each finger represents 15 minutes before sunset. Multiply the number of fingers by 15 to get the time.
- If you're measuring the time in the late afternoon, perhaps one hand or several fingers are enough to tell the time.
- This method will have slight variations depending on the width of the fingers.
Method 2 of 4: Using a Sundial
Step 1. Write the numbers 1 through 12 evenly distributed around the edge of a circle of paper
Use a protractor to make the numbers as evenly spaced as possible, roughly at a 30-degree angle. Write with a pencil if you need to rewrite the numbers.
Step 2. Punch a hole in the middle of the circle
As a way to correctly calculate the center, fold the circle in half horizontally and then the other side vertically. The point where the lines meet is the center. Use the pencil to make the hole and tape it in place.
Make sure the pencil is positioned as close to 90 degrees as possible. Take this measurement using the protractor
Step 3. Take the circle out into the street and secure it to the ground
The pencil shadow will calculate the approximate time. Find a flat spot that receives sunlight and secure the circle to the ground with rocks or duct tape.
Step 4. Position the sundial to the north
Sundials must point towards True North (latitude 90N) to display the time correctly. Use a compass (make your own if you wish) to find out where north is. Position the sundial with the number pointing north.
Step 5. See which number the shadow is pointing to
If the sundial was made correctly, with the angles of the numbers and pencil correct, the number the shadow is on will tell the approximate time. The time of a sundial will not be exact, but it will reflect the time within a period of 30 to 45 minutes before or after the actual time.
Step 6. See if the clock is accurate around noon
Use a regular clock to test your makeshift sundial. Noon is marked when the Sun is at the highest part of the sky and the shadow of the pencil is at number 12.
If the shadow is far from 12, mark the spot where the shadow is positioned at noon and make the necessary adjustment
Step 7. Adjust the sundial, but write the numbers later
If you have plenty of time and want to make a clock even more accurate, don't write the numbers on the circle before taking it out into the street. Have a watch handy and check the sundial every hour. As the hours pass, mark the position of the shadow on the circle and write the corresponding time.
Method 3 of 4: Using the North Star
Step 1. Locate the constellation Ursa Major
When night falls, go to a location that does not have bright lights or pollution. Point a compass to the north and keep looking there. Ursa Major's position can change depending on your geographic location, but you'll only see it looking north.
- Ursa Major is composed of seven stars and is shaped like a bowl with a handle. The four stars that make up the bowl look like a diamond or a rectangle with slightly bulging edges, depending on the position you see. The handle is formed by three stars aligned to the left of the bowl.
- In some seasons of the year, this constellation can be easier or harder to see. It all depends on where you are at the moment.
Step 2. Use the Big Dipper to find the North Star
Look at Dubhe and Merak, the two stars that draw the line on the right side of the bowl. From there, draw an imaginary line upwards about five times the size of the Dubhe and Merak line. When you spot a bright star near that location, you've found the North Star.
Step 3. Imagine that the North Star is the center of a large clock in the sky
Polaris, as the North Star is also known, will serve as the center of a 24-hour clock in the sky. Unlike an analog watch, which moves at 30 degrees per hour, the hand movement from Polaris will move at only 15 degrees per hour. Divide the sky into 24 parts, trying to maintain as much equality as possible between them.
Step 4. Use the Big Dipper to find the standard time
After dividing the sky into parts, find the standard time using the Big Dipper as the hour hand. When the rightmost star of Ursa Major, Dubhe, crosses a section corresponding to a standard time, you have found it.
To know the correct time, you will need to set the celestial clock by date
Step 5. Calculate the current time using a special equation
The calculation you have to do is as follows: (Current Time = Standard Time – 2x the number of months starting March 6 of the current year). If the date is exactly March 6, you don't need to do the calculation. Except for this date, all other days of the year need the calculation, as this is the only way to have a more accurate time.
- Example: Standard Time is 5:00 on May 2nd, so the equation becomes (Time = 5 – 2 X 2). In this case, Standard Time will be 1:00.
- The equation is not exact. The exact time can be within half an hour of the calculated time.
Step 6. Consider daylight savings time
If your region or country is in daylight saving time, add one hour in relation to the Eastern time zone and subtract half an hour from the Western time zone.
Method 4 of 4: Using the Moon Phases
Step 1. Use the moon phases to get an approximate time
Keeping an eye on the phases of the moon isn't as effective as a sundial or reading the stars. In the case of the moon phase, it will only be visible at night and for a certain period of time. By knowing the phase periods and paying attention to the position of the moon, you can determine the time by approximating a few hours to the exact time.
Step 2. Avoid reading the time on the new moon
In the new moon phase, you will not be able to see the moon at night. This way, it will not be possible to estimate the time. In this specific case, use the North Star method.
Step 3. Calculate the time during the crescent moons in the first half of the night
Crescent moons are visible during the first quarter of the night and will be so around three hours after sunset; crescent moons are visible in the first half of the night (6 hours); and gibbous crescent moons are visible for much of the night, 6 to 9 hours after sunset.
If a crescent moon is almost halfway across the sky, it will be marking approximately three hours after twilight
Step 4. Use the full moon to calculate the weather for the entire night
During the full moon, the moon will be visible all night, ie around 12 hours. Note the placement of the moon in the sky to calculate the approximate time. In case the moon is a quarter of its way, it will be marking around the new post-twilight hours.
Step 5. Calculate the time during the waning quarters of the moon in the second half of the night
The waning moons are visible during the first quarter of the night and will be visible around three hours before dawn; the waning quarter moons are visible during the final six hours of the night; and gibbous waning moons are visible for much of the night, 6 to 9 hours before dawn.
Example: hypothetically, a waning moon is about a quarter of its way across the sky. After that, it will be between an hour and an hour and a half until dawn arrives
Tips
- Keep an eye on the weather before trying any of these methods. Choose a time when the sky is clear.
- When not using a conventional watch, the time will always be approximated. It is practically impossible to get an exact time when using alternative means. Use these methods for fun and not at the important times when you can't be late.
- When trying to calculate the time at night, find a place as far away from the pollution as possible.