Anyone else's compass wrong again?

In Virginia here, my trusty compass looks to be about normal.

Originally posted by randomname
maybe buy a new compass and compare them. it could be your compass is on it's last legs.

Compasses don't have legs.

Try this if you suspect you have a bad compass. Do a swing test to see if the pivot jewel is worn. Take a piece of metal and hold it near enough to the compass that the compass swings 90 degrees east or west and then quickly remove the steel. The compass should swing back and forth smoothly until settling on the same spot it was at before the test. Repeat until you prove to yourself the action of the compass is smooth. Liquid filled compasses are better than dry compasses, but they all work on the same principle of magnetism.

If you want something basic you can take barrel magnets and place them end to end with one end being north and the other being south. Place a string between the middle magnets and suspend it from your ceiling or inside a clear bowl to remove wind influence. When the magnetism changes locally the magnets will swing to line up with the magnetic lines of flux in your area. Everyone experiences different magnetism anomalies all the time so verification should come from a neighbor not from someone in another area or state.

As far as "True North" and how far off your compass is, that will not be necessary to prove because there is no landmark or star that can be used in a video to prove true north. You might back up your north reading with a gps reading or compass app, but I would just forget about trying to convince anyone of your evidence. The people who need convincing are usually too dense to understand the implications anyway and not worth the effort.

Originally posted by onecraftydude
The people who need convincing are usually too dense to understand the implications anyway and not worth the effort.

...or find out if there are any ore bodies or known magnetic anomalies nearby. Don't ya think?

Even if an anomaly exists that is causing this, pole shifts take a thousand years or more and the old tired fear mongering nonsense of a radical pole shift are the stuff of fiction movies. The pole will shift, but it won't have any impact on day to day lives unless your a pilot or navigating in a ship.

I've always preferred to learn from people qualified to speak on a topic. Guess that makes me "dense", eh?

Using the equations of magnetohydrodynamics, a branch of physics dealing with conducting fluids and magnetic fields, Glatzmaier and colleague Paul Roberts have created a supercomputer model of Earth's interior. Their software heats the inner core, stirs the metallic ocean above it, then calculates the resulting magnetic field. They run their code for hundreds of thousands of simulated years and watch what happens.

What they see mimics the real Earth: The magnetic field waxes and wanes, poles drift and, occasionally, flip. Change is normal, they've learned. And no wonder. The source of the field, the outer core, is itself seething, swirling, turbulent. "It's chaotic down there," notes Glatzmaier. The changes we detect on our planet's surface are a sign of that inner chaos.

They've also learned what happens during a magnetic flip. Reversals take a few thousand years to complete, and during that time--contrary to popular belief--the magnetic field does not vanish. "It just gets more complicated," says Glatzmaier. Magnetic lines of force near Earth's surface become twisted and tangled, and magnetic poles pop up in unaccustomed places. A south magnetic pole might emerge over Africa, for instance, or a north pole over Tahiti. Weird. But it's still a planetary magnetic field, and it still protects us from space radiation and solar storms.

From folks qualified to speak on this.

Originally posted by onecraftydude

As far as "True North" and how far off your compass is, that will not be necessary to prove because there is no landmark or star that can be used in a video to prove true north. You might back up your north reading with a gps reading or compass app, but I would just forget about trying to convince anyone of your evidence. The people who need convincing are usually too dense to understand the implications anyway and not worth the effort.

Excuise me? No star for true north?

Polaris

There are many things that can interfere with the normal operation of a magnetic compass, many that have been listed here. Electrical current is another thing, as a electromagnetic field surrounds a conductor when current is flowing.

Compasses can also loose their magnetic field strength over time if they get shocked enough (dropped), not to mention the mechanical damage that can happen.

So keep in mind that there are mundane things that can interfere with your compass, eliminate those first before suspecting the Earth's magnetic pole.

reply to post by MooseDroolUSMC1986


Magnetism can diminish over time. It may have to do with what metal it's made out of, or how it was magnetized, not sure really. I know some of my magnetic tools have lost their charge, but the oldest one I got, which was bought like 80 years ago is still strong as hell.

Go here find the sectional for your area the magnetic deviation is shown on the chart.

reply to post by MissCoyote

I dont depend on it. it's just avaiable to use if need be. I never really look at compasses. I have found mine now and it looks right, but as I said I wouldnt really know if it's off a degree or two.

Santos Bonacci recently stated that the sun is off by 3-4 degrees. Bonacci should know. His specialty is astrotheology.

I've been busy over the last couple of days so that is why I am rplying now.

1) I have been reading the same compass everyday (in the same place) for the last year and it has been pointing North EVERYDAY till the first dates.

2) It is hte same Army style compass that was recommended last year when the anomaly occured.

3) I am in the UK (not )that was not affected last year.

4) Yesterday it was showing normal and pointing North again. Just as it should be in London.

5) It is now pointing too much East again.

I know that magnets can be knocked and can stop working but mine is in a wooden cupboard with a glass door. And I have checked it is working by using some metal objects to make the needle move. So it is not stuck.
,
Don't worry it must just be my house so does anyone know why my house is only being affected?????????

A man-made EMField only around my house???????

WTH is going on? And why on those dates?
I had no problems last year when others did.

This is bumming me out. I feel picked on. Why my house?