Earth as a Giant Magnet

Open to everyone until Sunday, October 4

To keep it, print it while it is open.

Earth has a magnetic field that spreads through space like the field of a huge bar magnet. A compass needle turns until it lines up with that field, so it points toward magnetic north.

In the picture

The bar magnet’s red end: one end of the model magnet inside the globe
The bar magnet’s blue end: the opposite end of the model magnet
The compass needle: the thin magnet that turns to align with the nearby field
The globe’s rotation axis: the line through the poles that the globe spins around

Examples

A hiker uses a compass to keep walking north through fog.
A phone’s compass app shows which way the phone is facing.

Key takeaways

Earth’s magnetic field is tilted relative to its rotation axis.
A compass needle aligns with the local magnetic field, not directly with the rotation axis.