CSTAR

Streamlining astronomy to find location without GPS or Internet

Polar angle (degrees):

Solar noon:

The polar angle is the distance in degrees from the horizon to Polaris, the North Star. Find Polaris by locating the big dipper and following the two stars at the end of the cup to the North Star. We advise using your phone's accelerometer to calculate this angle.

The solar noon is the time in your timezone when the Sun is directly above your location. It would be best to look this up for your location before setting out on your offline travels. However, it can be obtained anywhere by placing a stick (or an object of similar shape) into the ground. Now, the time at which the stick does not have a shadow is the solar noon.