Navigation & Wayfinding / Celestial & Timekeeping
Tell Time by the Sun
Before clocks, phones, and power grids, people read the day from shadow, light, and the path of the sun.
This guide teaches three simple ways to estimate time using only the sky.
Quick Summary
The field version in three minutes.
Use the sun’s position for a quick read, your hand to estimate daylight left, and a shadow stick to find local noon and direction. Learn three simple ways to estimate time using the sun, shadows, and your hands - no watch, phone, or electricity required. Before clocks, phones, and power grids, people read the day from shadow, light, and the path of the sun.
Why It Matters
Learn the pattern before you need the tool.
This guide teaches three simple ways to estimate time using only the sky. Learn three simple ways to estimate time using the sun, shadows, and your hands - no watch, phone, or electricity required.
Blueprint View
Study the main working parts first.
Five-Step Overview
Read the motion before the manual.
- Sun position.
- Hand-width.
- Shadow stick.
- Check direction.
- Read a shadow stick as a simple ground clock.
Visual Guide
Three ways to read the day
Shadow Stick Clock
Hand-Width Method
Sun Arc
COMPLETE FIELD MANUAL
Continue with the Complete Field Manual.
The website gives you the fast overview. The complete manual is the field-ready version built to save, print, and keep offline.
- detailed construction
- printable checklists
- troubleshooting
- maintenance
- larger diagrams
- printable reference
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