Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 4: Using the position of the sun
• Method 2 of 4: Make a sundial
• Method 3 of 4: Finding the North Star
• Method 4 of 4: Determine the time based on the moon phases
• Tips
• Warnings
• Necessities

Whether you're going camping or wanting to get away from all the technology, being able to tell the time without a clock is a necessary skill in both cases. As long as you can see the sky clearly, you can estimate what time it is. Without a clock, your calculations will be an estimate, but accurate within a certain time range. Read the time without a clock on those days when you are not in a hurry and can work with rough estimates.

To step

Method 1 of 4: Using the position of the sun

1. Make sure you have a clear view of the sun and that there are few obstacles. Places with lots of trees or buildings can hide the horizon from view. Without a clear horizon, you cannot take an accurate measurement. If you can find a field without any tall objects nearby, you will be able to take a more accurate measurement.
   • Use this method on sunny days, with few or no clouds in the sky. If you can't see the sun at all, you can't follow its trajectory.
2. Line up your hand with the horizon. Keep your arm up with your wrist bent and your palm facing you. Your little finger should be between the ground and the sky. Keep your hand as still as possible for an accurate reading.
   • This works with both hands, but you may feel most comfortable with your dominant hand.
   • Make sure your thumb is out of the way. Because thumbs are thicker and slanted to your fingers, they hinder your timing.
3. Stack one hand on top of the other. If you still have space between your hand and the sun, stack your other hand on top of the first. Continue to stack your hands on top of each other until you reach the height of the sun.
   • Your hand should not get past the sun, but should touch the bottom of the sun instead.
   • Keep track of the number of fingers as you stack your hands.
4. Add the number of fingers together. Once you reach the sun, count how many fingers fit in the space between the sun and the horizon. Each finger represents a quarter of an hour before sunset. Multiply the number of fingers by fifteen to calculate the time.
   • If you measure time later in the day, you may only need one hand or several fingers to read the time.
   • Since finger widths vary, this method is an approximation.

Method 2 of 4: Make a sundial

1. Write the numbers 1-12 evenly spaced on the edges of a board. Use a protractor to distribute the numbers as evenly as possible. The numbers should be about 30 degrees apart. Write with a pencil in case you want to trace the numbers.
2. Poke a hole in the center of the board. To indicate the center, you can fold the board in half and cross it in half again. The place where those two lines intersect is the center. Use your pencil to poke through the hole and then stick it in place with masking tape.
   • Get the angle of the pencil as close to 90 degrees as possible by measuring with a protractor.
3. Take the board outside and tie it to the ground. Once placed outside, the estimated time can be derived from the shadow of the pencil. Find a place outside in direct sunlight and fix the sundial there with stones or tape.
4. Place the sundial to the north. Sundials must face true north (or 90 degrees latitude) to display the time correctly. Use or create a compass to determine which direction is north. Place your sundial so that the 12 points north for an accurate reading.
5. Look at which number the shadow of your pencil is pointing. If the makeshift sundial is made correctly (with the correct angles of the numbers and pencil), the number should point to the correct estimated time. The sundial will not show the exact time, but it will within a window of 30-45 minutes.
6. Check your sundial for accuracy around noon. Use a regular clock to test your makeshift sundial. Noon or noon is the time when the sun is highest in the sky, at which time the shadow of the pencil should point to 12 o'clock.
   • If the shadow is far from 12, mark where the shadow is at noon and adjust the pointer accordingly.
   • Add one hour to the time indicated by the sundial if you are in summer time.
7. Calibrate your sundial if necessary. If you have more time and want to make a particularly accurate sundial, don't write the numbers on the board before placing it outside. Have a clock nearby and check your sundial every hour.As every hour passes, mark the position of the shadow and note the corresponding time.

Method 3 of 4: Finding the North Star

1. Locate the Big Dipper. At night, move to a location free from bright light or significant contamination. Using a compass, find north and move in that direction. The Ursa Major's position may change depending on your geographic location, but it is always north.
   • The Big Dipper is formed by seven stars like a saucepan. The four stars that make up the pan are in the shape of a diamond, and the three remaining stars in a row on the left form the handle.
   • The Big Dipper is easier (or harder) to find, depending on the season and your location.
2. Use the Big Dipper to find the North Star. Find the two stars that make up the right line of the Big Dipper's pan (Dubhe and Merak). Draw an imaginary line up from that point, about five times as long as the line between Dubhe and Merak. When you reach a bright star in this approximate location, you know it is the North Star.
3. Imagine the North Star as the center of a large clock in the sky. The North Star (Polaris) can function as the center of a twenty-four-hour clock in the sky. Unlike an analog clock, which moves 30 degrees per hour, a Polaris clock will only move 15 degrees per hour. Divide the sky into twenty-four pieces, as evenly as possible.
4. Use the Big Dipper to make a rough estimate of the time. After dividing the sky, you determine the rough time with the help of the big bear as a kind of hour hand. When the rightmost star (Dubhe) of the Big Dipper passes through a section, this is the rough time.
   • For the calculation of the exact time you will have to take the date into account.
5. Calculate the actual time using a special equation. The calculation you use is as follows: (Time = Rough time - (2 x the number of months since March 6)). If it is exactly March 6, you do not have to make any calculations. However, during any other day of the year, this calculation is essential for a more accurate calculation.
   • For example, if the raw time is 5:00 am on May 2, use the equation Time = 5 - (2 x 2) at 1:00 am.
   • This comparison is not accurate. Actual time can be anything within half an hour of your calculated time.
6. Take daylight saving time into account. If it is daylight saving time in your time zone, add one hour to the eastern half of the time zone. For the western half, add half an hour.

Method 4 of 4: Determine the time based on the moon phases

1. Use the moon phases for a very rough estimate. The phases of the moon are not as accurate for determining time as a sundial or measuring the North Star. Based on the current phase of the moon, the moon will only be visible in the night sky for a certain amount of time. By knowing these times and noting the current position of the moon, you can determine the current time with a certainty of a few hours.
2. Do not use the Moon phases during New Moon. On the day of the New Moon you will not be able to find it in the night sky. Because of this, you cannot use its positioning for time estimation. Instead, use the North Star method.
3. Measure the time during the waxing moon during the first half of the night. A waxing crescent moon is visible in the first quarter of the night, as well as about three hours after sunset. A washing quarter is visible for the first six hours. A waxing, projecting moon is visible 6-9 hours after sunset.
   • When a washing quarter has traveled about halfway across the sky in its journey, it is about three hours after sunset.
4. Use the full moon to measure time throughout the night. During a full moon, the moon will be visible all night (about 12 hours). Look at the lunar position of the moon in the sky to estimate the time. When the moon has traveled a quarter of the way to setting, it is about 9 hours after sunset.
5. Measure the time during a waxing moon during the second half of the night. A waxing crescent moon is visible in the first quarter of the night and about three hours before sunset. A washing quarter is visible for the last six hours of the night. A shrinking protruding moon is visible 6-9 hours before sunrise.
   • For example, imagine that a shrinking crescent moon has traveled about a quarter of its journey across the sky. It is then between one and an hour and a half before sunrise.

Tips

• Check again before trying any of these methods. Choose a time when the sky is clear.
• Without a clock, you can only estimate the time. It is nearly impossible to get an exact timing using alternative methods. Try these methods for fun, and don't use them to be on time for something important.
• When observing the night sky, find a place as far from urban pollution as possible.

Warnings

• Never, under any circumstances, look directly into the sun.

Necessities

• Compass
• Protractor
• Paper plate
• Pencil