The cardinal points
Cardinal directions: the four points of the compass
The four cardinal directions help people to orientate themselves. Orientation means to understand where you are situated in relation to a number of fixed locations: the four points of the compass or cardinal points.
The cardinal points can be determined looking at the sun, the stars, a compass or with a modern GPS system.
WITH THE HELP OF THE SUN:
The different sections of our Discovery Parcours illustrate the four cardinal points and where the sun rises in Merano 2000.
WITH THE HELP OF THE STARS:
The NORTH STAR or Pole Star is the only star in our skies that is always fixed: It always shows where north is. This is because during the 24 hours of one day, the earth rotates around its own axis, but the angle of its inclination does not change during the year.
Polaris, as the North Star is also called, is part of the constellation Little Dipper or Ursa Minor, which is Latin for Little Bear. This group of stars is located to the right of the constellation known as Big Dipper, Plough or Ursa Major, i.e. Big Bear.
The four cardinal directions help people to orientate themselves. Orientation means to understand where you are situated in relation to a number of fixed locations: the four points of the compass or cardinal points.
The cardinal points can be determined looking at the sun, the stars, a compass or with a modern GPS system.
WITH THE HELP OF THE SUN:
- EAST (E) is where the sun rises.
- WEST (W) is where the sun sets.
- SOUTH (S) is the point which the sun reaches at noon or midday.
- NORTH (N) is the point opposite the south.
The different sections of our Discovery Parcours illustrate the four cardinal points and where the sun rises in Merano 2000.
WITH THE HELP OF THE STARS:
The NORTH STAR or Pole Star is the only star in our skies that is always fixed: It always shows where north is. This is because during the 24 hours of one day, the earth rotates around its own axis, but the angle of its inclination does not change during the year.
Polaris, as the North Star is also called, is part of the constellation Little Dipper or Ursa Minor, which is Latin for Little Bear. This group of stars is located to the right of the constellation known as Big Dipper, Plough or Ursa Major, i.e. Big Bear.
WITH THE HELP OF THE COMPASS:
A compass is an instrument with a magnetic needle, the tip of which always points north.
To see how that works, turn your compass until the needle is in a horizontal position (parallel to the ground). Now watch the needle move until it stops as soon as it faces north.
Besides the four cardinal points N, S, E and W, there are also four so-called intercardinal (or ordinal) directions:
• SOUTH - EAST (SE)
• SOUTH - WEST (SW)
• NORTH EAST (NE)
• NORTH WEST (NW)
WITH THE HELP OF A GPS SYSTEM:
GPS is a satellite positioning system that can determine the location of a person or an object at any time.
There are several types of GPS receivers: our smartphones, car navigation systems and some watches, for example.
One of the reasons accidents happen in the mountains is often a loss of orientation. Be smart and use a map, a compass and an altimeter to make sure you always know where you are!
A compass is an instrument with a magnetic needle, the tip of which always points north.
To see how that works, turn your compass until the needle is in a horizontal position (parallel to the ground). Now watch the needle move until it stops as soon as it faces north.
Besides the four cardinal points N, S, E and W, there are also four so-called intercardinal (or ordinal) directions:
• SOUTH - EAST (SE)
• SOUTH - WEST (SW)
• NORTH EAST (NE)
• NORTH WEST (NW)
WITH THE HELP OF A GPS SYSTEM:
GPS is a satellite positioning system that can determine the location of a person or an object at any time.
There are several types of GPS receivers: our smartphones, car navigation systems and some watches, for example.
One of the reasons accidents happen in the mountains is often a loss of orientation. Be smart and use a map, a compass and an altimeter to make sure you always know where you are!
