Earth’s magnetic north is not static. Like an anchorless buoy pushed by ocean waves, the magnetic field is constantly on the move as liquid iron sloshes around in the planet’s outer core.

In the Arctic Ocean, at a location known as the north magnetic dip pole, the needle of a compass held in the horizontal plane has no preferred orientation.

A compass does not point directly at the physical location of magnetic north. It is oriented along the Earth's magnetic field lines at its location.

The magnetic compass — used in navigation for hundreds of years — is a tool that helps you find your way. Good beginner hiking/orienteering compasses can be found online or in outdoor sections ...

Monarch butterflies have a keen sense of direction, even on cloudy days. This is because they have a magnetic compass to direct their migration in addition to navigating by the position of the sun ...

Not only migratory birds use a built-in magnetic compass to navigate correctly. A new study from Lund University in Sweden shows that non-migratory birds also are able to use a built-in compass to ...

On Earth, the magnetic field of our planet points a compass north, but in space, things are a bit more complicated.

With a compass, you can find out which way a magnetic pole is—and from that, you can approximate other directions such as where south, east and west are as well.

Migrating Monarch Butterflies Use Magnetic Compass to Cut Through Clouds New research finds that monarch butterflies use a magnetic compass on overcast days.

Here’s an amazing fact: Adult robins have a magnetic compass in their right eye that allows them to sense the direction of the Earth’s magnetic field, and navigate when all other landmarks are ...

Magnetoreception, or the ability to sense the Earth's magnetic field, pops up throughout the animal kingdom, but it's generally thought to be something humans missed out on. But maybe we can after ...