HOW TO NAVIGATE BY THE STARS
Accompaniment to Station 2 – Day 1 Amazing Race
READ first to guide you on your journey:
Explorers have used the stars as a compass for millennia, and if you’re out having adventures at
night, you should add the skill to your arsenal. (If nothing else, it’s a killer party trick.) Here’s
how to transform the night sky into your personal roadmap.
1) Learn the Big Three
According to the Royal Naval Academy, 58 stars
are handy for navigation. You need to know 38
different constellations to find all of them. If that
seems daunting, there’s a cheat code. Just learn to
spot three constellations: Cassiopeia, Crux, and
Orion. Also keep your eye on the Big and Little
Dipper. Crux is in the Southern Hemisphere though,
so not much use to us.
2) Find the North Star
It’s always within one degree of true north. So use the Big Dipper and Cassiopeia are your
guides. Look at the Dipper’s ladle and pretend you’re pouring soup from it. The flow of that
space soup will point straight to the North Star. If you hit a constellation that looks like a wonky
‘W,’ you’ve gone too far. That’s Cassiopeia. Recalculate your cosmic GPS and back up. The
North Star is smack between Cassiopeia and the Big Dipper.
3) Shoot for the Moon
If you can find Orion’s sword, following its point will show you south. Alternatively, if there’s a
crescent moon, draw an imaginary line from between its tips and follow it to the horizon. That’ll
point you toward the penguins.
4) MOVE LIKE A STAR
Like the sun, stars skate east to west. Tracking how they travel across the sky should tell you
which way you’re facing. For something more precise, look to Orion’s belt. The star on the belt’s
right side—Mintaka—rises close to true east and sets at true west.
5) TAKE A SURVEY
Forgot to memorize your constellations? There’s an easy fix. Simply place two sticks in the
ground and set them one yard apart. Now pick a star—any star. Line it up with the tops of both
sticks, as if you were looking down a rifle sight. The earth’s rotation will make the star “move.”
If it runs left, you’re facing north. If it shifts right, you’re south. If it rises, you’re east. If it sinks,
west.
CODE WORD(S)
______ ________ ________ ________ _______ _______ ________ ________
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
YOUR JOURNEY
1. RECORD YOUR JOURNEY on the school map. Use your compass if you like, but
directionally the school is pretty simple, so feel free to use the compass rose on the
school map also. You MUST complete the whole journey.
2. STOP 1 - LOOK ABOVE THE FRONT DOOR OF MY CLASSROOM AS YOU EXIT
ON THE NORTH SIDE.
FILL IN HERE, at this station – In blank 1 – The letter that starts the name of the
middle star you are to follow. In blank 3, the shape Cassiopeia makes. In Blank 8,
place the letter that starts the second word for the soup ladle shaped constellation.
Next Direction: The Center star tells you which direction you should go. Go exactly
_____ paces that direction as you leave the classroom. Look for your next marker.
MARKERS are surrounded in Blue.
3. STOP 2
FILL IN HERE: This shape in the sky is a C__ES__ ENT M__ O ___ (fill in letters in
the blanks). Take the letter from the third blank here, and place it in the Code Words
5th spot.
Double check that the last blank letter matches the letter you entered for the
Codewords 1st spot.
Next Direction: Notice the shape in the sky. Go the direction where the line on the
horizon would tell you that you are heading. Go ______ paces and look at the double
doors on your right, go in them and look quietly for the next marker.
4. STOP 3 – This is an important constellation.
FILL IN HERE: This Constellation is O __ __ O N 'S B__ ___ ___. (fill in letters in
the blanks) Take the letter from the second blank and place it in the Code Words 6th
Spot. Now take the letter from the fourth blank here, and place it in the Code Words
7th spot.
Double check: the first blank letter matches the letter you entered for the
Codewords 6th spot.
Next Direction: If this constellation were just rising, the star circled, Mintaka, tells you
which direction to head 5 paces. This direction is also Blank #2 in the CODEWORD.
From here you 1. Go ____Paces south, then veer sharp to your right. This direction is
Blank #4 in the Code Word. 2. Go _____ paces in this direction, 3. then ____ paces
north, 4. Go _____ paces East, 5. Go 3 paces south, 6. Go 4 paces west and submit your
complete Route map and CODE WORD for your next clue.