Planets Why the North Pole Is Really a South Pole (and Vice Versa) Want to stay on top of all the space news? Follow @universetoday on Twitter If you go out hiking this weekend and somehow find yourself hopelessly lost in the wilderness, but suddenly remember you have a compass with you, you can use it to find north because the needle always points towards the Earth’s geographic north pole, which never changes… right? Wrong, wrong, and wrong. (But still bring a compass with you. See more videos from MinutePhysics here. About Jason Major A graphic designer in Rhode Island, Jason writes about space exploration on his blog Lights In The Dark, Discovery News, and, of course, here on Universe Today. Tagged as: compass, Earth, magnetic, magnetism, Minute Physics, north pole
BBC Science - How to: make a magnetic compass 29 August 2013Last updated at 12:24 Mark Miodownik, presenter from Dara O Briain's Science Club on BBC Two, reveals how you can perform simple science experiments at home. By magnetising a needle you can create your own working compass. Our planet acts like a giant bar magnet creating a magnetic field that protects Earth from space radiation. You can harness Earth's magnetic field to create a compass that will point towards north. Cut a circle around 1/4 inch (5-10 mm) thick from the end of a cork. Stroke a needle with the north end of a bar magnet around 50 times, lifting between strokes. Attach the magnetised needle to your circle of cork with tack and carefully place it into a dish of water. The needle will rotate until its north pole (the tail) points towards the magnetic north pole (shown on the compass). Sewing needle Cork or plastic bottle top Bar magnet Sticky tack Shallow dish of water Sharp knife or scissors Towel (optional) Compass (optional) Continue reading the main story