- A Star Clock is a method of Telling the Time at night based on observation of the constellation Ursa Major (The Plough (UK) or The Big Dipper (USA).
Technique
- Draw an imaginary line from Polaris to the two stars in the Plough. Imagine the line is the hour hand on a clock face numbered 1 to 12. Read off the time to the nearest quarter of an hour, eg 01:45
- The star clock will always read 12:00 Midnight on March 7th wherever you are located.
- Add 1 hour for every month after March 7th, to the nearest quarter month. If today is May 21st, then add 2 hours and 30 minutes, giving 04:15.
- Double the Time because this is a 24 hour clock, giving: 08:30.
- Subtract from 24 (or 48), giving 15:30. So, Local Time is 03:30 PM.
- Adjust for your Time Zone: If your Time Zone is + 1 hour (Eg BST British Summer Time), then add 1 hour giving, 04:40 PM.