Find the Big Dipper
Locate the two outer stars of the Big Dipper’s bowl
Draw an imaginary line from those two stars outward
Follow that line about five times the distance between the two stars
Look for a moderately bright star at the end of the line
Confirm it is the North Star by checking that it stays nearly fixed while other stars appear to move
If the Big Dipper is not visible, find Cassiopeia’s W shape
Use the two outer stars of Cassiopeia’s W to point toward the North Star
In the Southern Hemisphere, the North Star is not visible