If you’re a science lover or have ever watched The Polar Express, you may have wondered whether there is only one direction from the North Pole. The answer is no, there are two: True Geographic North and Magnetic North.
Essentially, the two north locations are very different. The former is where lines of longitude converge in the north, and the latter is where the Earth’s magnetic field is positioned. This makes it possible for a compass needle to point at both places at the same time, even though they are radically different.
You can also refer to the magnetic inclination of the Earth, which flips polarity when the liquid metal in its core expands or contracts. While this isn’t always accurate, it is the only way to be sure that the needle will point in the right direction at any given moment.
The North Star is the star directly above Earth’s North Pole on its rotational axis. It’s easy to see from the ground, and is a good reference point to find your way around the world.
However, it can be confusing when someone says that they’re standing on the North Pole. This is because they are not talking about the True Geographic North Pole, which is where longitude lines converge in the North Pole, but rather the Magnetic North Pole, which is where the Earth’s magnetic field is located.
While the two are completely different, they are still aligned in similar ways all over the Universe. This is why the North Star can help you orient yourself in a way that’s more accurate than any map or GPS system.
When you’re walking or hiking, the most important thing to know is where the true north is: if it’s not pointing in the direction of the Geographic North Pole, then you’re headed in the wrong direction.
This is not a new phenomenon, and astronomers have found that stars and planets align in a very similar way all over the Universe. This has led to the theory of the “up and down” in space, but as Daniel Mortlock from Imperial College London explains, this isn’t exactly true on a microscopic scale.
Besides this, there are other factors that can cause a compass to point in different directions at the same time. For example, if you’re in a place where the sun is very high and the moon is low, the compass will be more inclined to point in the direction of the moon.
You can also expect the Magnetic North Pole to flip polarity in the same way that it does for the True North Pole, but this doesn’t happen very often. It’s only when the hot, liquid metal in the Earth’s core expands and contracts that it flips polarity.
It’s also a common myth that the north pole of the Earth is located at the same level as the North Star, but this is actually impossible. Instead, the true north is a bit lower than the star, so when the sun or the moon are close to this point, you’ll be able to see the North Star more clearly. the hill one north