The Moon-Clock

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Kortoso
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The Moon-Clock

Post by Kortoso »

Elsewhere I mentioned the art of telling time by the moon.
Assuming you're out at night.
Two things you need to know is the current phase of the moon, and its position in the sky.
It also helps if you know the direction of north, or anyway the places where the sun (and moon) set in the current season.
It helps if you can use the position of the moon, plus its phase, to visualize the location of the sun on the other side of the Earth.
Of course, as Rangers, we don't just "beam down" into a situation; you've been living outdoors and would be familiar with the current phase of the moon, where the sun rises and sets with the season, the movement of the moon as the evening progresses and so on.

This site explains it pretty well, although there are plenty of others:
Tell Time by the Moon

I'd imagine a group of Rangers could assign watch schedules based on this crude time-keeping.
There are no safe paths in this part of the world. Remember you are over the Edge of the Wild now, and in for all sorts of fun wherever you go.
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Kortoso
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Joined: Fri Oct 03, 2014 9:37 pm
Location: Chiang Mai, Thailand
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Re: The Moon-Clock

Post by Kortoso »

Found this in the FM 21-76 US Army Survival Manual:
If the moon rises before the sun has set, the illuminated side will be the west. If the moon rises after midnight, the illuminated side will be the east. This obvious discovery provides us with a rough east-west reference during the night.
There are no safe paths in this part of the world. Remember you are over the Edge of the Wild now, and in for all sorts of fun wherever you go.
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