Navigation by night

[Scythe13]

Here are 3 things I think are well worth printing out and making into proper cardboard deceives.

Found them when looking for a decent moon compass. I had a moon compass and 2 brilliant star maps!

So, here for your enjoyment...

http://www.nmr.chem.uu.nl/~rainer/projec...ompass.jpg

http://www.nmr.chem.uu.nl/~rainer/projec...turnal.jpg

http://www.nmr.chem.uu.nl/~rainer/projec...sphere.jpg

[Highlander]

mmmm not sure Scythe,...I personally would have trouble reading those during the day, let alone after dark.

I like to keep it simple,... the `Plough` is in the southern skies and the moon rises in the East and sets in the west,.. the full moon at around midnight is [roughly ] in the south

You can always see a large moon, [ full moon or three quarter moon ], even on a foggy or cloudy sky,... just hold a stick up and if there is any light at all, then it will still leave a faint shadow on a white object

Or better still carry a compass.... ... for those dark moonless nights

[Midnitemo]

Not something i would choose to do moving at night especially over unknown ground , not tacticaly sound unless an absolute nescessity.

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you only need to know the north star to orient yourself.

[Tartar Horde]

Having the ability to move at night has got to be an advantage, I for one feel a lot more confident being able to navigate in darkness while the majority of people can't. There's only one way to do this effectively and that is to buy NV gear. Modern digital equipment is becoming more affordable, and to be honest even 1st Gen Russian NV gear can be had for a relatively cheap price and once used you will be converted.

[Midnitemo]

the availability of nv gear is exactly why i wouldn't be moving at night....i couldn't afford for a nv unit for every body and theres always a chance that you may wind up in the crosshairs of somebody elses nv....people will expect the worst if they see a body of people moving towards them in the dark and may start shooting...after a contact your group could be scattered to the wind....bad things tend to happen after dark! its deeply entrenched in our psyche.

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i'd prefer to move in daylight with a mixed group, you can use terain and fieldcraft for concealment...the group can follow your visual cues and immitate your moves and maintain visual contact at all times....so much easier to contol than at night with a bunch of civies

[bigpaul]

pre dawn and just after dusk is the times I will be moving about post SHTF.

[Skean Dhude]

I shall save the knowledge just in case but none of my plans has me navigating in the dark.

[Scythe13]

(2 December 2013, 18:52)Skean Dhude Wrote: I shall save the knowledge just in case but none of my plans has me navigating in the dark.

Nor mine. But just in case, as you say, I don't plan for it, but it's knowledge. For me, it's knowledge that may well prove very useful.

[CharlesHarris]

http://www.uvm.edu/~goldbar/FM3_25.26.pdf

See Chapter 11, Terrain Association, Night Navigation.

The basic technique used for nighttime land navigation is dead reckoning with several compasses

NOTE: See Appendix F for information on orienteering.recommended. The point man is in front of the navigator but just a few steps away for easy control of the azimuth. Smaller steps are taken during night navigation, so remember, the pace count is different. It is recommended that a pace count obtained by using a predetermined 100-meter pace course be used at night.

Navigation using the stars is recommended in some areas; however, a thorough knowledge of constellations
and location of stars is needed (paragraph 9-5c). The four cardinal directions can also be obtained at night by
using the same technique described for the shadow-tip method. Just use the moon instead of the sun. In this
case, the moon has to be bright enough to cast a shadow.

[Midnitemo]

Nightvision and afterdark navigation skills wont save you from stepping on a punji or activating a device....moving at night is a last resort for me especially over unknown ground,