has true north changed. And when?
2007-03-02 10:53:15 · 6 answers · asked by joneski31 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Earth Sciences & Geology
You mean recently?
It wanders around a little bit. Since 1900, it has moved about 14 meters. See the link for a chart.
The "International Reference Pole" is where the lines of longitude meet. By definition, it does not move; it's one of the points that we measure things from.
The "Celestial Ephemeris Pole" is the pole that the Earth spins around (averaged over a couple of days). This is the pole that wanders around.
2007-03-02 11:06:28 · answer #1 · answered by morningfoxnorth 6 · 3⤊ 2⤋
braxton_paul is certainly right that true north, as we define it, doesn't move
And he is most definitely correct that magnetic north (defined by the earth's magnetic field) changes slightly over time.
But the earth wobbles slightly on its axis, or in other words, the axis about which it is spinning wobbles slightly. So if we define true north as being "the direction of the earth's axis" at any particular instant (the axis about which the earth is spinning at that instant), then true north does change slightly.
But, obviously we don't change the locations of our parallels and meridians (by tiny amounts) as this wobble occurs. So, for practical purposes, true north does not change.
2007-03-02 19:14:22 · answer #2 · answered by actuator 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
'True north' is the physical north pole of Earth. All lines of longitude intersect there. Since the physical location of the north pole doesn't change, neither does 'true north.'
On the other hand 'magnetic north' does meander about.
2007-03-02 19:03:01 · answer #3 · answered by Chug-a-Lug 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Yes the magnetic polls are always changing. It is thought that the polls may someday change from NO. to SO. If this happens the solar winds will kill this world of ours
Happy caveing Carroll
2007-03-02 23:26:16 · answer #4 · answered by Carroll 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Just a small misconception that not a lot of people know about. Magnetically speaking, The magnetic pole near the "geographical pole is the "South" pole!!!! so when we refer to the magnetic poles its in the opposite sense of the geographical one...meaning that the south magnetic pole is near the north geogrphical pole and vice versa...so which kind of pole are you meaning?
2007-03-02 19:53:38 · answer #5 · answered by Ramy E 2 · 0⤊ 3⤋
True north, according to my knowledge, does not change, it always stays on the axis of the earth's rotation, and I doubt that the axis shifts. Magnetic north, on the other hand, shifts constantly.
2007-03-02 19:37:17 · answer #6 · answered by harakiri 3 · 1⤊ 4⤋