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  • Word comparison: true north vs. magnetic north

true north vs. magnetic north

true north vs. magnetic north: ’s the difference?

True north (also called geographic north) is the direction of the North Pole, the most northerly place on Earth, from any given point. Magnetic north is the direction a compass points. It’s usually different from true north because Earth’s magnetic fields shift and change over time.

noun

Navigation, Surveying.
  1. the direction of the north pole from a given point.


noun

  1. north as indicated by a magnetic compass, differing in most places from true north.