Loran C off the air

[Louis Mamakos]

On Aug 12, 2010, at 5:55 PM, Joseph Bento wrote:

> 
> On Aug 12, 2010, at 2:13 PM, Philip Miller Tate wrote:
> 
>>> How many people know their magnetic declination at their home QTH to determine true north?
>> 
>> 
>>>> Not a clue, but I know where the pole star is, and which side the moss grows on trees.
>> 
> 
> Yeah, the moss is supposed to grow thicker on the South side of the tree (in the Northern Hemisphere, anyway), but this is not always true.   I think I'd rather trust the pole star.  Locate the Big Dipper and the two stars opposite the handle are your pointers.  It's getting harder to find in the bright lights of the city, however.
> 
> The only Southern Hemisphere constellation I'm familiar with is the Southern Cross.  Can it be used for guidance?
> 
> Joe

Polaris isn't due north, but as much as 44 arcminutes east or west, depending on the time of day.

There's not a good analogue in the southern hemisphere; the Southern Cross constellation, Crux, is 30 degrees away from the pole, though it "points" toward the pole.  See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crux
for a quick summary and how you can use Crux to estimate the southern pole location in the sky.

louie
wa3ymh