Navigate by the Southern Cross

[?] Subscribe To This Site

Navigate by the Southern Cross

In the southern hemisphere, the location of south can be determined from the Southern Cross constellation. This constellation can be distinguished from other cross shaped groups by its size - it's smaller - and its two pointer stars. The brightest star is at the foot of the true cross. The sky map picture on this page may not exactly match what you see, if it doesn’t, then just rotate it until it does. To find the right sky map on your location, see the information at the page Finding the North Star.

To locate south:

· Locate the two bright pointer stars and the Cross constellation. There are actually 5 stars in the constellation visible with the naked eye, the four stars that make up the cross and a smaller star, in between the bottom star and the right star.

· Project an imaginary line through the long axisof the cross. Begin with the star that marks the top of the cross.

· Draw a perpendicular bisector between the two pointer stars, which is a line starting at the midpoint between the two stars and coming out at right angles. This line should cross the imaginary line through the long axis of the cross. The intersection of these two lines is close to the South Pole.

· Place a marking arrow on the ground to enable you to remember the position by day.

Return from "Navigate by the Southern Cross"
to: "Finding direction without a compass"

Back to: Wilderness survival skills homepage

footer for southern cross page