True north facts for kids

True north is a special direction on Earth. It points exactly towards the North Pole. Imagine a line going through the center of the Earth, from the North Pole to the South Pole. This is Earth's spinning axis. True north is the direction along the Earth's surface that leads to where this imaginary line comes out at the top. True south is the exact opposite direction. Knowing true north helps us find our way around the world.

There are different ways to find north. For example, a compass points to magnetic north, which is a bit different from true north. Magnetic north moves over time because of Earth's magnetic field. Also, on flat maps, the north direction shown by the map's grid lines (called grid north) can be slightly different from true north. This happens because it's hard to show a round Earth perfectly flat. But on a globe, the lines of longitude always point to the true poles.

What is True North?

True north is the direction that points directly to the North Pole. This is the spot where the Earth's imaginary spinning axis meets the surface. Think of the Earth as a giant spinning top. The very top point where the spinning rod comes out is the True North Pole.

Why is True North Important?

Knowing true north is very important for navigating and making maps. It gives us a fixed, unchanging direction to use. Sailors, pilots, and explorers have used true north for centuries to find their way across oceans and continents.

How is True North Different from Other "Norths"?

It can be confusing because there are a few different "norths"! True north is the most accurate one.

True North vs. Magnetic North

• True North: This direction points to the Earth's actual North Pole. It's a fixed spot.
• Magnetic North: This is the direction a compass needle points. It's where the Earth's magnetic field lines go into the ground. The Magnetic North Pole is not the same as the True North Pole. It also moves around a little bit each year.

True North vs. Grid North

• True North: This is the real direction to the North Pole.
• Grid North: This is the direction of the straight lines on a flat map. Because maps are flat, they can't perfectly show the curved Earth. So, the grid lines on a map might not point exactly to true north.

How Can We Find True North?

Finding true north can be done in a few ways, especially by looking at the stars.

Using the Pole Star

The easiest way to find true north at night is by looking for the Pole Star, also called Polaris.

• Polaris is a star that appears almost directly above the True North Pole.
• It seems to stay in the same spot in the sky while other stars appear to move around it.
• If you face Polaris, you are facing almost exactly true north.
• This star is very close to the celestial pole, which is like the North Pole extended into space.

Earth's Changing Tilt

The Earth's axis wobbles very slowly, like a spinning top that's slowing down. This wobble is called axial precession.

• Because of this wobble, the star that is closest to true north changes over thousands of years.
• About 5,000 years ago, the star Thuban was the "Pole Star."
• In about 8,000 years, the star Deneb will be the brightest star near the north celestial pole.
• Polaris will be closest to the true north direction around the years 2101-2103.

True North on Maps

Maps often show you how to find true north.

How Maps Show True North

• On maps from the United States Geological Survey (USGS), true north is usually marked with a line that has a five-pointed star at the end.
• The sides of these maps that go up and down (called meridians) point to true north. This means the sides of the map might not be perfectly parallel.
• Maps from the United Kingdom Ordnance Survey often have a special diagram. This diagram shows you the small differences between true north, grid north, and magnetic north for that specific map.