How to Read a Compass (2024)

Fabulous! I just bought an old US compass at an auction. It is in a brass pocketwatch style case with a lid that closes. I didn't know how to read a compass and this is great information. Also loved the joke! Thanks

Thank for the easy to understand directions. I am a teacher out of my element. At lease I won't look stupid with the information I learned here.

I've learned some basics.Thanks.

Excellent articles

Maybe someone could help me with this question I have concerning a gift. My question is whether one could change the direction in which a compass points i.e. point home, or simply in the general direction of a certain point... I'm seeing if this could lead to a great gift idea.

Thanks!

@Cody - a Compass just points towards the north magnetic pole. It doesn't point to any other location. A GPS can do what you want. You can enter a waypoint (latitude and longitude) into the GPS and it will show you which way to go to reach that point.

I have come to understand the ship vs. lighthouse story is true!

Hello just bought a new compass to learn how to use. does it matter what kind of compass I use?? I just got military prismatic sighting compass. is that a good choice? I want to learn how to use a map and compass combined.

@Anthony - That should work fine to learn map and compass. A compass doesn't need to be fancy.

Thank You...This is awesome, well written easy to follow directions. (Ooh, bad pun.)

thanks for the compass rose thing it helps me alot

Thankyou so much a fab posting now for the real test

Hi
I am having trouble with my Compass when I point it at my car as my home point and go out in the woods when I am ready to go back to the car from a day in the woods I look at the point where I started from and start to head back but I always come back way off and some time I go past my home point and if I keep going it could go on for ever what am I doing wrong
like today I turned around to get my reading on the car and it was South 37 and went out for the day and when it was time to head home back to the car and I was turning to get back to South 37 it took me past the car and thank God it was on a road and I just walk a way and got back

@Rich - Please read the FAQ page.

Great site! I have a what I think is a pretty easy compass question for you. Say I am standing on the equator, and I am facing North holding a compass. And I turn right 90 degrees and face due East, and adjust the compass dial until the North mark and the Orienting Arrow are lined up with the North end of the needle. My goal is to walk exactly in a straight line East on the equator.
Will you agree that as long as I keep the needle on N that for all practical purposes I can indeed follow the equator all around the world (assuming you could walk on water of course!)

@Steven - No, because the magnetic declination changes as you move around the world. See NOAA map.
You would need to adjust for the declination as you traveled.

On my Chinese made pocket transit, the end of the needle that points north is colored white; the end pointing south is colored red. Is this common in Chinese-made compasses?

@Danno - No, it's not common. Maybe it's a manufacturing mistake. You could google the brand and model to find a user manual for it.

Thanks for the lesson that was easily understood. My question is: I will be on the continent of Africa, 80% of the time south of the equator, shooting the milky way and star trails for three weeks and I need to buy a inexpensive, reliable, compass for orienting my gear to point south. I am thinking of a Suunto A-10 which allows both N and S hemisphere orientation, lightweight, rugged, has a laynard for neck wear and has a good rating. Am I on the right path or am I off the grid?

@bhbimages - Suunto A-10 is a fine compass.

So we look at the red needle most of the time but the silver needle we do not look at unless we have to look at it.

@Rich
The reason your reading of the car was off was because when you took your reading to the car at South 37 and then moved again the line from your car to the last reading and where you were later on was not in a straight line. Pick a point and take a reading to that point then go to another point but you have to take another reading.

Do u point /use ttrue N to to find stuff espec if using phone!??

@Jan - digital compasses on cellphones are not affected by magnetic declination, but they also tend to not be as accurate as magnetic compasses, especially when standing still.

I need your help. I bought at a yard sale a nice aged 3 inch brass plated magnetic compass. I was surprised to find it had 0 to 90 degrees marked around the outside but did figure it out. What I could not figure out is the 0 to 360 compass rose is on the inner side and goes the wrong direction counter clock wise. What is really interesting is the 0 starts about the 230 degree mark on a standard compass rose and 360 at 231 degree mark. Do you have any knowledge of this type of compass?

finally I know how to use the compass that I bought!!!tnx

I found my grandfathers brass, liquid filled compass with flip up magnifying glass that is perhaps WW1 vintage. I have remagnetized it and is working well, very sensitive to metallic surroundings. The glass dial has a solid black line and two different sized green lines radiating towards the center from the outer perimeter. With the Black line lined up with north, longer Green line sits at 40°, shorter green line sets at about 85°. What do these mean?

Found your site with google. Thanks for sharing this information.

Hi Compass Dude
My wife is learning to fly. Her instructor may say, turn onto a heading of ( he gives a heading, lets say 270 degrees). She sees the compass says her heading is 45 degrees. She wants an easy way to know whether to turn right or left. Obviously one way is shorter to get onto the new heading. She has always had difficulty in reading the time . Any ideas?

If you are walking in wilderness at 210degrees what method do use to return to your starting point?

@Rich - Please read the FAQ page.

This was helpful!

Great tool to teach my grandkids how to use a tool that doesn't need batteries or wifi!!! Thank you dude.

I couldn't exactly remember how to read a compass since boyscouts this refresh my memory, I also did have a good laugh at the joke.

Very helpful article—thank you! Just a heads-up for ladies especially about keeping compass away from metal objects—this goes for bra underwires as well! I say this from experience and great embarrassment stemming from my hunter's safety course. If wearing a bra with underwire and holding the compass too high above the waist, readings will be off and, if you also happen to be in the midst of a hunter's safety exam and are alerted to this error by your elderly male instructor who is stammering to get the words "underwire" and "bra" out, your face will turn redder than the red arrow. :)

this was very helpfull to brushup on using my Military Marching Compass for the Rocky Mountains.
Gave the rest to my nephews Compass dude thanks again