Would a compass work on Mars?

Question

Is there a north and south on Mars?

Answer 1

Umm, your own source disputes your claim of no magnets:

Form Wikipedia:

Observations of the magnetic fields on Mars by the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft have revealed that parts of the planet's crust have been magnetized. This magnetization has been compared to alternating bands found on the ocean floors of Earth. One theory, published in 1999 and reexamined in October 2005 with the help of the Mars Global Surveyor, is that these bands are evidence of the past operation of plate tectonics on Mars.[14]

So yes, a compass would work but not necessarily point to the north.

Answer 2

A magnetic compass works in relation to the magnetic poles (called magnetic north and south). Of course the magnetic compass would not work in Mars as it would work on earth. Magnetic poles and gravity are entirely different in the planet Mars compared to the planet earth.

Answer 3

There is a difference between a geographic north and south (Mars has both), and a magnetic north (which is what is detected by a magnetic compass). I do not know if Mars has a magnetic north.

Answer 4

Yes a compass would work on Mars because Mars has a metallic iron core like Earth.

Answer 5

Christ, if any poor shmuck tries to sort through the nonsense to get to the real answer in this science section of "Answers", I feel for them.

Compasses work by pointing to the "north" end of a magnetic field. Mars has no magnetic field anymore; it lost its planetary magnetic field sometime in the past probably because the internal heat engine that kept it going ceased to produce convection in the planet's core. What wikipedia is referring to is the magnetic remnance left locked into rocks as a record of the planet's past magnetic field - the magnetic field itself doesn't exist anymore.

So, a compass would not "work" on Mars, if you define "working" as pointing to the north magnetic pole of that planet.

Answer 6

First off, compasses don't work b/c the planets spin around the sun. Go back to school kid.
Yes it would work b/c there is a magnetic field on mars, just like there is on earth. Our magnetic field is help generated from the sun, but it's not b/c the earth "spins" around the sun.

Answer 7

hmm no it wont work.
They call it the dead planet planet because for some reason long time ago mars lost its magnetic field thus losing the atmoshpher and other critical things.

and because of that the compass would still work, but it would not be consistant. So in a way yes, but for what we use the compass for it would not do us any good.

Answer 8

Sry kiddies - no magnetic field on Mars, so compass is no use.

there are some areas with local magnetism, but that is useless for universal navigation. At best, the compass arrow would point towards the center of magnetic anomaly.

Answer 9

Assuming your speaking of a simple magnetic compass and that Mars has magnetic poles, yes. However, the directions would be in relation to the Martian, not the Terran (Earth) magnetic poles.

Answer 10

it wouldn't work because of the magnetic fields on mars, it would throw the compass off. or the lack of i should say