2098: Magnetic Pole - Revision history

B for brain: /* Explanation */ I made a typo. Sorry.

2025-06-03T07:26:19Z

‎Explanation: I made a typo. Sorry.

B for brain: /* Explanation */ Another Typo

2025-06-03T07:25:26Z

‎Explanation: Another Typo

B for brain: Typo

2025-06-03T07:23:55Z

Typo

162.158.38.221: Missed out the "otherwise" that I had intended. (And. now, we only have to worry about the long-term effects of plate techtonics... ;)

2025-03-16T17:19:34Z

Missed out the "otherwise" that I had intended. (And. now, we only have to worry about the long-term effects of plate techtonics... ;)

172.68.205.179: /* Explanation */ As with ships, planes that are bigger than 'light' probably primarily use inertial/GPS electronic compasses, with a 'whisky-glass' no-power floating magnetic compas unit (with a suitably adjsted deflector-bar) only as low-tech fallback.

2025-03-16T16:41:26Z

‎Explanation: As with ships, planes that are bigger than 'light' probably primarily use inertial/GPS electronic compasses, with a 'whisky-glass' no-power floating magnetic compas unit (with a suitably adjsted deflector-bar) only as low-tech fallback.

1234231587678 at 02:43, 16 March 2025

2025-03-16T02:43:05Z

172.70.94.3: /* Explanation */ Mentioned similar comic

2025-03-10T16:24:07Z

‎Explanation: Mentioned similar comic

172.69.70.51: /* Explanation */

2023-03-26T12:23:12Z

‎Explanation

Mushrooms: /* Explanation */

2022-11-10T07:49:55Z

‎Explanation

Davidy22: Reverted edits by Explain xkcd server admin (talk) to last revision by Theusaf

2022-05-21T02:55:32Z

Reverted edits by Explain xkcd server admin (talk) to last revision by Theusaf

Show changes

@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 As shifts occur, the error of geopositional data will increase until a new {{w|World Magnetic Model|model}} is released. The effect is especially pronounced as you move toward the poles.
-Cueball is saying that because of the currently published {{w|magnetic declination}} data being slightly incorrect, his {{w|schooner}}s (old merchant sailing ships) may go off-course and crash on {{w|shoal}}s. This is to illustrate how magnetic pole shift doesn't actually affect many people's daily lives.  Modern ships' navigation systems do not rely on magnetic pole location &ndash; in contrast to old vessels which mostly used a {{w|compass}}. However, airplanes do use compasses readings in determining runway numbers. Thus, northern countries have started to use the {{w|Geographic North Pole}} to determine runway numbers, which could otherwise need recalibration on occasion, as would all the ({{w|Quantum compass|not-necessarily magnetic}} flightdeck compasses).
+Cueball is saying that because of the currently published {{w|magnetic declination}} data being slightly incorrect, his {{w|schooner}}s (old merchant sailing ships) may go off-course and crash on {{w|shoal}}s. This is to illustrate how magnetic pole shift doesn't actually affect many people's daily lives.  Modern ships' navigation systems do not rely on magnetic pole location &ndash; in contrast to old vessels which mostly used a {{w|compass}}. However, airplanes do use compasses readings in determining runway numbers. Thus, northern countries have started to use the {{w|Geographic North Pole}} to determine runway numbers, which could otherwise need recalibration on occasion, as would all the {{w|Quantum compass|not-necessarily magnetic}} flightdeck compasses.
 Since the movement is only about two-fifths of a degree, it wouldn't cause much disruption for [[Cueball]] or require him to adjust anything about his lifestyle, but since the speed of the change has been steadily increasing over the past few years, it may mean we are heading for a geomagnetic reversal in the next few decades, something very exciting indeed. During a magnetic reversal, the poles wouldn't just switch places; several different poles would form and interact chaotically, and it's likely that one of them would end up close enough to where [[Randall]] lives to cause auroras to become more common at some point during the transition.

@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 As shifts occur, the error of geopositional data will increase until a new {{w|World Magnetic Model|model}} is released. The effect is especially pronounced as you move toward the poles.
-Cueball is saying that because of the currently published {{w|magnetic declination}} data being slightly incorrect, his {{w|schooner}}s (old merchant sailing ships) may go off-course and crash on {{w|shoal}}s. This is to illustrate how magnetic pole shift doesn't actually affect many people's daily lives.  Modern ships' navigation systems do not rely on magnetic pole location &ndash; in contrast to old vessels which mostly used a {{w|compass}}. However, airplanes do use compasses readings in determining runway numbers. Thus, northern countries have started to use the {{w|Geographic North Pole}} to determine runway numbers, which could otherwise need recalibration on occasion, as would all the ({{w|Quantum compass|not-necessarily magnetic}} flightdeck compasses.
+Cueball is saying that because of the currently published {{w|magnetic declination}} data being slightly incorrect, his {{w|schooner}}s (old merchant sailing ships) may go off-course and crash on {{w|shoal}}s. This is to illustrate how magnetic pole shift doesn't actually affect many people's daily lives.  Modern ships' navigation systems do not rely on magnetic pole location &ndash; in contrast to old vessels which mostly used a {{w|compass}}. However, airplanes do use compasses readings in determining runway numbers. Thus, northern countries have started to use the {{w|Geographic North Pole}} to determine runway numbers, which could otherwise need recalibration on occasion, as would all the ({{w|Quantum compass|not-necessarily magnetic}} flightdeck compasses).
 Since the movement is only about two-fifths of a degree, it wouldn't cause much disruption for [[Cueball]] or require him to adjust anything about his lifestyle, but since the speed of the change has been steadily increasing over the past few years, it may mean we are heading for a geomagnetic reversal in the next few decades, something very exciting indeed. During a magnetic reversal, the poles wouldn't just switch places; several different poles would form and interact chaotically, and it's likely that one of them would end up close enough to where [[Randall]] lives to cause auroras to become more common at some point during the transition.

@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 As shifts occur, the error of geopositional data will increase until a new {{w|World Magnetic Model|model}} is released. The effect is especially pronounced as you move toward the poles.
-Cueball is saying that because of the currently published {{w|magnetic declination}} data being slightly incorrect, his {{w|schooner}}s (old merchant sailing ships) may go off-course and crash on {{w|shoal|}}s. This is to illustrate how magnetic pole shift doesn't actually affect many people's daily lives.  Modern ships' navigation systems do not rely on magnetic pole location &ndash; in contrast to old vessels which mostly used a {{w|compass}}. However, airplanes do use compasses readings in determining runway numbers. Thus, northern countries have started to use the {{w|Geographic North Pole}} to determine runway numbers, which could otherwise need recalibration on occasion, as would all the ({{w|Quantum compass|not-necessarily magnetic}} flightdeck compasses.
+Cueball is saying that because of the currently published {{w|magnetic declination}} data being slightly incorrect, his {{w|schooner}}s (old merchant sailing ships) may go off-course and crash on {{w|shoal}}s. This is to illustrate how magnetic pole shift doesn't actually affect many people's daily lives.  Modern ships' navigation systems do not rely on magnetic pole location &ndash; in contrast to old vessels which mostly used a {{w|compass}}. However, airplanes do use compasses readings in determining runway numbers. Thus, northern countries have started to use the {{w|Geographic North Pole}} to determine runway numbers, which could otherwise need recalibration on occasion, as would all the ({{w|Quantum compass|not-necessarily magnetic}} flightdeck compasses.
 Since the movement is only about two-fifths of a degree, it wouldn't cause much disruption for [[Cueball]] or require him to adjust anything about his lifestyle, but since the speed of the change has been steadily increasing over the past few years, it may mean we are heading for a geomagnetic reversal in the next few decades, something very exciting indeed. During a magnetic reversal, the poles wouldn't just switch places; several different poles would form and interact chaotically, and it's likely that one of them would end up close enough to where [[Randall]] lives to cause auroras to become more common at some point during the transition.

@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 As shifts occur, the error of geopositional data will increase until a new {{w|World Magnetic Model|model}} is released. The effect is especially pronounced as you move toward the poles.
-Cueball is saying that because of the currently published {{w|magnetic declination}} data being slightly incorrect, his {{w|schooner}}s (old merchant sailing ships) may go off-course and crash on {{w|shoal|}}s. This is to illustrate how magnetic pole shift doesn't actually affect many people's daily lives.  Modern ships' navigation systems do not rely on magnetic pole location &ndash; in contrast to old vessels which mostly used a {{w|compass}}. However, airplanes do use compasses readings in determining runway numbers. Thus, northern countries have started to use the {{w|Geographic North Pole}} to determine runway numbers, which could need recalibration on occasion, as would all the ({{w|Quantum compass|not-necessarily magnetic}} flightdeck compasses.
+Cueball is saying that because of the currently published {{w|magnetic declination}} data being slightly incorrect, his {{w|schooner}}s (old merchant sailing ships) may go off-course and crash on {{w|shoal|}}s. This is to illustrate how magnetic pole shift doesn't actually affect many people's daily lives.  Modern ships' navigation systems do not rely on magnetic pole location &ndash; in contrast to old vessels which mostly used a {{w|compass}}. However, airplanes do use compasses readings in determining runway numbers. Thus, northern countries have started to use the {{w|Geographic North Pole}} to determine runway numbers, which could otherwise need recalibration on occasion, as would all the ({{w|Quantum compass|not-necessarily magnetic}} flightdeck compasses.
 Since the movement is only about two-fifths of a degree, it wouldn't cause much disruption for [[Cueball]] or require him to adjust anything about his lifestyle, but since the speed of the change has been steadily increasing over the past few years, it may mean we are heading for a geomagnetic reversal in the next few decades, something very exciting indeed. During a magnetic reversal, the poles wouldn't just switch places; several different poles would form and interact chaotically, and it's likely that one of them would end up close enough to where [[Randall]] lives to cause auroras to become more common at some point during the transition.

@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 As shifts occur, the error of geopositional data will increase until a new {{w|World Magnetic Model|model}} is released. The effect is especially pronounced as you move toward the poles.
-Cueball is saying that because of the currently published {{w|magnetic declination}} data being slightly incorrect, his {{w|Schooner|schooners}} (old merchant sailing ships) may go off-course and crash on {{w|Shoal|shoals}}. This is to illustrate how magnetic pole shift doesn't actually affect many people's daily lives.  Modern ships' navigation systems do not rely on magnetic pole location &ndash; in contrast to old vessels which mostly used a {{w|compass}}. However, airplanes do use compasses to determine runway numbers. Thus, northern countries have started to use the {{w|Geographic North Pole}} to determine runway numbers.
+Cueball is saying that because of the currently published {{w|magnetic declination}} data being slightly incorrect, his {{w|schooner}}s (old merchant sailing ships) may go off-course and crash on {{w|shoal|}}s. This is to illustrate how magnetic pole shift doesn't actually affect many people's daily lives.  Modern ships' navigation systems do not rely on magnetic pole location &ndash; in contrast to old vessels which mostly used a {{w|compass}}. However, airplanes do use compasses readings in determining runway numbers. Thus, northern countries have started to use the {{w|Geographic North Pole}} to determine runway numbers, which could need recalibration on occasion, as would all the ({{w|Quantum compass|not-necessarily magnetic}} flightdeck compasses.
 Since the movement is only about two-fifths of a degree, it wouldn't cause much disruption for [[Cueball]] or require him to adjust anything about his lifestyle, but since the speed of the change has been steadily increasing over the past few years, it may mean we are heading for a geomagnetic reversal in the next few decades, something very exciting indeed. During a magnetic reversal, the poles wouldn't just switch places; several different poles would form and interact chaotically, and it's likely that one of them would end up close enough to where [[Randall]] lives to cause auroras to become more common at some point during the transition.

@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
 ==Explanation==
-Over the last couple of months, {{w|Earth's magnetic field|Earth's magnetic fields}} have been [https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-00007-1 shifting rapidly]. Although the magnetic fields do move regularly, the current shift has been unexpected and unprecedented. As many location systems are reliant on the magnetic fields to function, the accuracy of such tools is being shifted beyond the maximum acceptable error.
+Over the last couple of months, {{w|Earth's magnetic field|Earth's magnetic fields}} have been [https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-00007-1 shifting rapidly]. Although the magnetic fields do move regularly, the current shift has been unexpected and unprecedented. As many location systems are reliant on the magnetic fields to function, the accuracy of such tools is being shifted beyond the maximum acceptable error. The scientists are therefore updating these tools in order to prevent ships from running aground, similarly to [[2029: Disaster Movie]].
 Locational and navigational systems use the magnetic field, combined with a model of field behavior, to do fancy math and pop out data. Because of the rapid shifts, a new model was scheduled to be created; however, the model has been considerably delayed by the {{w|United States federal government shutdown of 2018–2019|US government shutdown}}.

@@ Line 18: / Line 18: @@
 Since the movement is only about two-fifths of a degree, it wouldn't cause much disruption for [[Cueball]] or require him to adjust anything about his lifestyle, but since the speed of the change has been steadily increasing over the past few years, it may mean we are heading for a geomagnetic reversal in the next few decades, something very exciting indeed. During a magnetic reversal, the poles wouldn't just switch places; several different poles would form and interact chaotically, and it's likely that one of them would end up close enough to where [[Randall]] lives to cause auroras to become more common at some point during the transition.
-In the title text, Randall mentions that there are reasons people could be concerned, but says that they would be more than made up for by newly being able to experience mid-latitude auroras. Since auroras occur between 10° and 20° from the magnetic poles, the migration of the poles to middle latitudes would cause the auroras to occur there as well; since more people live at middle latitudes than in the Arctic and Antarctic Circles, and since auroras are considered aesthetically attractive, the psychological benefits of the drifting poles might more than make up for the technical difficulties it causes.
+In the title text, Randall mentions that there are reasons people could be concerned, but says that they would be more than made up for by newly being able to experience mid-latitude auroras. Since auroras occur between 10° and 20° from the magnetic poles, the migration of the poles to middle latitudes would cause the auroras to occur there as well; since more people live at middle latitudes than in the Arctic and Antarctic Circles, and since auroras are considered aesthetically attractive,{{Citation needed}} the psychological benefits of the drifting poles might more than make up for the technical difficulties it causes.
 ==Transcript==