Guides

Compass guides

Practical, no-nonsense guides to finding your way, how to find north, what magnetic declination means, and how compass degrees work.

How to Find North (With or Without a Compass)

Your phone is the fastest way, but the sun, the stars and even an analog watch can all point you north when you have no compass.

Point your phone the way you are looking and the compass tells you instantly which direction you face, in degrees and as N, E, S or W.

A compass points to magnetic north, but maps use true north. The angle between them is declination, here’s how to convert correctly.

North is 0°, east 90°, south 180°, west 270°. Here’s the full 16-point compass, what each direction means, and how bearings work.

The Qibla is the direction to the Kaaba in Mecca. Set your compass to true north and face the Qibla bearing for your location.

Vastu Shastra is built on the eight compass directions. Use a compass to find true north, then read each direction for your home.