True north, magnetic north and grid north meet for first time in map reading history — at a drainage pipe in Dorset
TRUE north, magnetic north and grid north have met for the first time in map reading history — at a drainage pipe in Dorset.
The three ways of measuring north usually do not align perfectly.
True north is the line of longitude on maps, and differs from grid north, the blue line on an Ordnance Survey map, as it takes account of the Earth’s curvature.
Magnetic north, the direction a compass needle points, shifts gradually due to the Earth’s fluctuating magnetic field.
But on Wednesday they finally came together at a single spot for the first time since Britain’s current mapping system was introduced in 1936 — making landfall in the village of Langton Matravers, near Swanage.
Sun man James Somper tracked down the exact point with the help of parish councillor Pete Christie.
It was a pipe on the side of a dry stone wall and was marked with a line of chalk and a small temporary plaque.
Pete said: “It’s amazing to think that our small village has made history.”
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The OS said the three norths will remain converged for 3½ years, passing through Hebden Bridge, West Yorks, in August 2024, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumbria, a year later and Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, around July 2026.
It could be hundreds of years before another such alignment.
3 POINTS TOREMEMBER
TRUE north points directly towards a fixed point — the geographic North Pole.
The Earth spins around this point, so it never changes position.
Grid north is marked by the blue lines on a flat Ordnance Survey map and they do not take account the Earth being round.
Magnetic north is the direction a compass points. This “wanders” slightly along with natural changes in the Earth’s magnetic field.