Hey - which way is North?

Hey - can you tell me which direction is north?

https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24232360-700-the-north-pole-is-moving-and-if-it-flips-life-on-earth-is-in-trouble/

Okay, an oddity today.

The article states: “CAN you point to the north pole? Almost certainly not. Even if you are armed with a compass, you could easily get it wrong. If you are in California, your needle might be a full 18 degrees out. “You need to take account of that, even if you’re just hiking – it can be the difference between going left and going straight on,” says William Brown at the British Geological Survey.

“It isn’t just that your compass can be thrown off by local quirks in the magnetic field. The north pole itself isn’t what it used to be. In 1900, the pole was in Canada. A century later, it was near Greenland. In the past 18 years, it has raced eastwards at about 40 kilometers per year and is currently heading for Siberia.

Of course, there is a difference between magnetic north (like on a compass) and the real north pole (where at this time of year, it is pitch black 24 hours a day, with only Santa’s workshop functioning - aren’t we glad Rudolph has a red nose!!!).  

But, the magnetic north has other important properties.

First, Magnetic north (and south) and the Earth's magnetic field shields the planet from deadly and destructive solar radiation. Magnetic north comes from the Earth’s core - but it keeps shifting.  It is thought that even in centuries past, the magnetic north and magnetic south switched locations.

Second, maybe more important for most people, our GPS units rely on magnetic north to give us directions.  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued an early update to its World Magnetic Model, which informs everything from GPS apps to the US Department of Defense's navigation systems.  

Let’s say a pilot of a small airplane is flying from Seattle to Portland Maine.  He has an older GPS/compass.  On a longer distance a difference of 1 or 2% change could mean the pilot would miss his destination by several miles.  

My friend KB commented on this “This is an unusual phenomenon with big implications in my industry resulting in a lot of airport projects requiring existing infrastructure to be re-identified due to the shift”.

And, on the defense scene, maybe the US military has identified a terrorist cell in Afghanistan and wants to send a smart bomb to knock it out.  But, if the bomb is off even a few hundred yards, it could hit a hospital or a school.  

I was talking to friends about our reliance on GPS to travel.  In the old days, you might have to get directions from a friend to find where you needed to go.  I remember asking for directions at gas stations in the past.

So, our (aka ‘human’ knowledge) is faced with something beyond our control - Magnetic poles moving - and what that means to us!!  (And, if the poles ever do fully switch, I’ll be long gone!!!)

Hebrews 11:1 “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.”  We ‘believe’ that the earth will keep rotating, that the sun will keep shining - and that the magnetic poles of the earth will remain where they are!!!

Hugs!!!

Karen