Finding north by the moon

Except for a few nights every month, the moon can help you finding north or south direction. The moon produces no visible light of its own. It only reflects the suns light, and herefore, it indicates the direction of the sun.


A rough rule of thumb

An easy rule to remember is this old navigation trick. However, it is not particularly accurate but at least provides you with a rough guide, and in many situations this is good enough. If the moon is in a crescent phase simply draw an imaginary line through the tips of its "horns" down to the horizon. The point where it touches is roughly South for the northern hemisphere and North for the southern hemisphere.


East - West

You can also use the moon to determine a rough east - west direction. If the moon rises before the sun sets, the illuminated side will be facing west. However, if it rises after midnight, the illuminated side will be facing east.