# During daytime, can you tell the direction you're facing? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 8, 2010, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/during-daytime-can-you-tell-the-direction-youre-facing/535419 "2010-04-08T16:01:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/during-daytime-can-you-tell-the-direction-youre-facing/535419/1 "2010-04-08T16:01:13Z")
Given that you know the time of day (or merely if it’s morning or afternoon) do you know what general direction (north, south, east, or west) you’re facing? I ask this because I had to give directions to my wife the other day (she driving, I’m on the phone) and I said “Now turn south onto Broadway and…” “What’s south?” “You know, south. As in, towards the equator.” Long story short, she has no idea what direction she is facing at any time. Telling her to turn E, W, N, or S is apparently as confusing as giving the instructions in Sanskrit. To tell the truth, I was flabbergasted. It never occurred to me that a few/some/many people don’t know the direction they’re facing, especially in daytime. Thus, the poll. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/during-daytime-can-you-tell-the-direction-youre-facing/535419/2 "2010-04-08T16:05:09Z")
My wife is constantly amazed that: A) I know what direction I’m driving and B) I know where to park so that the sun doesn’t shine in the front windshield. She just never learned about the Sun’s path through the sky. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/during-daytime-can-you-tell-the-direction-youre-facing/535419/3 "2010-04-08T16:05:24Z")
Yes, as in given a moment or two to think about it and look at my watch and the sky, I can generally figure it out. I don’t know it instinctively. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/during-daytime-can-you-tell-the-direction-youre-facing/535419/4 "2010-04-08T16:05:49Z")
That regular east-to-west thing that occurs daily can be confusing. ETA: response to **beowulff** ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/during-daytime-can-you-tell-the-direction-youre-facing/535419/5 "2010-04-08T16:07:08Z")
_points_ That way. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/during-daytime-can-you-tell-the-direction-youre-facing/535419/6 "2010-04-08T16:07:18Z")
In a city I’m familiar with, I typically know the directions even if it’s night. In other places, I can figure it out, given a little time to work it out. Although in that latter situation, I would not do well with needing to instantly figure out “south” while being given directions over the phone. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/during-daytime-can-you-tell-the-direction-youre-facing/535419/7 "2010-04-08T16:07:46Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > Yes, as in given a moment or two to think about it and look at my watch and the sky, I can generally figure it out. I don’t know it instinctively. Maybe I’m just a freak - I can tell the time of day merely by the quality of the sunlight. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/during-daytime-can-you-tell-the-direction-youre-facing/535419/8 "2010-04-08T16:12:08Z")
Having lived almost all my life with Lake Michigan to the east of me and within 20 miles of me, I’ll admit to some confusion when I’m on the west coast of the US or somewhere else where the Local Big Body of Water does not designate “east.” (Note that I don’t have to be within sight of same said LBBW, but when I know where it is, it goes into my mental map.) But otherwise I can generally figure it out pretty quickly. Hijack: My husband and I joke that his “internal compass” for some reason points to Joliet, IL. We live in the western suburbs of Chicago, and some Sundays we go out more-or-less-randomly driving to see areas in the burbs that we haven’t seen before. When the sun isn’t out, if he gets lost, we tend to end up in Joliet. But that’s fine, because he knows how to get home from there. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/during-daytime-can-you-tell-the-direction-youre-facing/535419/9 "2010-04-08T16:18:07Z")
Only in a city I am familiar with, and I have to think about it. Your poll options are not broad enough and thus I did not vote. But, does it really surprise you that not all of us are as spatially and geographically aware as others? I literally have a fuzzy mind when I start trying to think about directions, and have to carefully work it out in my mind. If I have a map I am great. I do without GPS, and do Ok, if I have proper directions. But don’t tell me to go east if I am, say, on back streets! I could never find it. I know east is towards the river here, that has saved my butt on more than one occasion, but my internal compass is not very refined. My SO on the other hand does have an ideal internal compass and is almost always faultless in directions. I’ve known for years that people are just different in this sort of thing. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/during-daytime-can-you-tell-the-direction-youre-facing/535419/10 "2010-04-08T16:22:23Z")
But the sun goes east to west. Before noon, the sun is to the east. After noon, the sun is to the west.\* If you’re standing in your yard at 10am and the sun is to your left, you’re facing south. If you’re standing in your yard at 2pm and the sun is to your right, you’re still facing south. In short, you don’t need an “internal compass” when you have daylight (which is why I specified “daytime” in the poll). \*Yeah, daylight savings time can mess with this timing, but the general principle remains. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/during-daytime-can-you-tell-the-direction-youre-facing/535419/11 "2010-04-08T16:31:19Z")
Clouds and buildings have a way of messing with it too. If the sky and the sun are visible, then yeah it’s not too difficult, but being in a strange city on a cloudy day there’s no way any of us could make a quick determination of which way we’re facing. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/during-daytime-can-you-tell-the-direction-youre-facing/535419/12 "2010-04-08T16:31:53Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Long story short, she has no idea what direction she is facing at any time. This applies to anyone who’s ever called me for directions. Thing is, if you don’t know which way you’re facing, _how the fuck am I supposed to tell you which way to go?!_ I mean, occasionally, I’ll know the area well enough that I can say “Turn until you see the pizza place with the bar across the street. Now walk between those two things.” But usually it’s a pretty futile endeavor. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/during-daytime-can-you-tell-the-direction-youre-facing/535419/13 "2010-04-08T16:34:58Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Clouds and buildings have a way of messing with it too. If the sky and the sun are visible, then yeah it’s not too difficult, but being in a strange city on a cloudy day there’s no way any of us could make a quick determination of which way we’re facing. Sunlight and time. Might be cloudy, but you can still see where the sun is - it’s the section of the clouds that’s lit up more than the other parts. ---
**Author:** ![StinkyBurrito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b9e5f3/32.png) [@StinkyBurrito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StinkyBurrito)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/during-daytime-can-you-tell-the-direction-youre-facing/535419/14 "2010-04-08T16:37:11Z")
I’d say my internal compass is pretty good and I am sometimes surprised at how clueless some people are about their location/direction. As long as the terrain is relatively flat, and the turns are generally 90 degrees, I would think you would always know which direction you are going, even at night. But I guess different people’s brains work in very different ways. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/during-daytime-can-you-tell-the-direction-youre-facing/535419/15 "2010-04-08T16:37:47Z")
If the sun is out. Otherwise, no, I have a horrible sense of direction and have been lost more times than I can count. ---
**Author:** ![Walkabout](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/46a35a/32.png) [@Walkabout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walkabout)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/during-daytime-can-you-tell-the-direction-youre-facing/535419/16 "2010-04-08T16:39:15Z")
I can figure it out if I think about it, but I don’t do well with directions given that way. By the time I figured out which direction to go, I would have missed the turn. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/during-daytime-can-you-tell-the-direction-youre-facing/535419/17 "2010-04-08T16:41:33Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Sunlight and time. Might be cloudy, but you can still see where the sun is - it’s the section of the clouds that’s lit up more than the other parts. Hence my mention of buildings and city and clouds. Especially in the northern hemisphere in the winter. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/during-daytime-can-you-tell-the-direction-youre-facing/535419/18 "2010-04-08T16:45:59Z")
> [@StinkyBurrito](#): > > As long as the terrain is relatively flat Hills can actually help, if they’re distinct enough. Drop someone in the middle of Seattle and they’d have a better chance of getting somewhere than dropping someone in the middle of Phoenix. ---
**Author:** ![bearman217](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a88e4f/32.png) [@bearman217](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bearman217)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/during-daytime-can-you-tell-the-direction-youre-facing/535419/19 "2010-04-08T16:48:45Z")
It isn’t that hard to figure out the direction you are heading. Depending on the time of the day, the sun will point you either to the east or the west, east for the morning and west for the afternoon. Plus, if you know where you are when you start a trip, it shouldn’t be that hard to tell your current direction as long as you mentally note any change in you direction. For instance, if you are heading north and turn left, now you’re heading east. It’s easy. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/during-daytime-can-you-tell-the-direction-youre-facing/535419/20 "2010-04-08T16:51:11Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > Having lived almost all my life with Lake Michigan to the east of me and within 20 miles of me, I’ll admit to some confusion when I’m on the west coast of the US or somewhere else where the Local Big Body of Water does not designate “east.” That sometimes tripped me up in Santa Cruz. It’s just 75 miles down the coast from SF but the Pacific (OK, Monterey Bay) is south. > [@Anaamika](#): > > But don’t tell me to go east if I am, say, on back streets! Er, so… what _can_ we tell you if we’re not there with you and we don’t know the area well enough to point toward a landmark? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/during-daytime-can-you-tell-the-direction-youre-facing/535419.md?page=2)