Star Clock

  • 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

  1. 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
  2. The star clock will always read 12:00 Midnight on March 7th wherever you are located.
  3. 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.
  4. Double the Time because this is a 24 hour clock, giving: 08:30.
  5. Subtract from 24 (or 48), giving 15:30. So, Local Time is 03:30 PM.
  6. 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.

 

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