# How can I locate my precise latitude? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 4, 2003, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-locate-my-precise-latitude/186172 "2003-07-04T03:55:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Buck\_The\_Diver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Buck\_The\_Diver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_The_Diver)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2003, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-locate-my-precise-latitude/186172/1 "2003-07-04T03:55:59Z")
Buy a handheld GPS. ---
**Author:** ![Skip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@Skip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skip)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2003, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-locate-my-precise-latitude/186172/2 "2003-07-04T09:41:06Z")
or get a decent topographical map of your area and work it out by hand. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2003, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-locate-my-precise-latitude/186172/3 "2003-07-04T09:52:27Z")
Or get a sextant and take a sighting of Polaris. Your latitude is equal to the elevation of Polaris. Assuming northern hemisphere, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2003, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-locate-my-precise-latitude/186172/4 "2003-07-04T10:19:20Z")
How precise? Your profile says NYC (This is New York City, right?). Googling for ‘latitude’ found [www.bcca.org/misc/qiblih/latlong.html](http://www.bcca.org/misc/qiblih/latlong.html) which gave a figure of 40.4. So (1) asking SDMB and (2) googling seem to work too. Gorsnak’s’s the most fun though. ---
**Author:** ![Aro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b3f665/32.png) [@Aro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aro)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2003, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-locate-my-precise-latitude/186172/5 "2003-07-04T12:29:33Z")
Perhaps to OP was wondering about how to do it (measure latitude), given no access to any modern technology. The scientist volunteers in a TV programme called [Rough Science](http://www.pbs.org/weta/roughscience/series/kate.html) had to do just that in one episode: [The Challenge: Measure Latitude and Longitude](http://www.pbs.org/weta/roughscience/challenges/latlong/) There were two methods employed, both described in links below: [Making a Quadrant](http://www.pbs.org/weta/roughscience/challenges/latlong/page3.html) [Measuring latitude using the sun](http://www.pbs.org/weta/roughscience/challenges/latlong/page4.html) OF course, this depends greatly on your definition of ‘precise’. ---
**Author:** ![3waygeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/e95f7d/32.png) [@3waygeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3waygeek)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2003, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-locate-my-precise-latitude/186172/6 "2003-07-04T13:09:26Z")
Good call on the Rough Science link, **Aro** – it’s an excellent program, one that most Dopers would enjoy. Unfortunately, it’s a little hard for US viewers to find; some PBS stations carry it (or did in the recent past), and the Science Channel on cable/satellite ran it a few months ago – AFAIK, they have no definite plans to run it again in the near future. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2003, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-locate-my-precise-latitude/186172/7 "2003-07-04T13:31:09Z")
I used to frequent a weather site that told you your _exact_ latitude and longitude. There was a clickable map that you could zoom in on so much that a city block took up half the screen. IIRC, it even had street address numbers in their correct places on the streets. You could click exactly where your house is and it would give you ultra-precise coordinates. The coordinates of my location went at least 8 or 9 decimal places out - maybe more. I just wish I could find the damn site again. I lost the bookmark in a crash a couple of years ago and have been looking for the site ever since. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2003, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-locate-my-precise-latitude/186172/8 "2003-07-04T16:08:08Z")
[Terrafly](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=171248&highlight=museum) is good for locating US Latitude & Longitude. ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2003, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-locate-my-precise-latitude/186172/9 "2003-07-04T19:31:18Z")
Or you could try [Geocoding](http://www.geocode.com), just click on Test Drive and enter your address. As a ham radio operator, I use that all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Jake4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bc8723/32.png) [@Jake4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake4)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2003, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-locate-my-precise-latitude/186172/10 "2003-07-04T21:11:50Z")
[Topozone.com](http://www.topozone.com)