Whats the difference between the true north pole and the magnetic north pole?
The true, or celestial, north pole is defined by the rotation of the Earth- the Earth’s axis of rotation passes through it. The magnetic north pole, on the other hand, is determined by the Earth’s magnetic field. The Earth’s magnetic field is thought to be generated by molten iron in the Earth’s core, and its direction is a much less reliable one than the rotation axis direction – magnetic north is approximately in the vicinity of the celestial north pole but some hundreds of miles distant from it, in northern Canada. Furthermore, the magnetic pole tends to wander around with time (about 15 km per year), and is even known to reverse polarity. In contrast, the celestial north pole is very stable.
Related Questions
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