Compass Error and Magnetic Declination

Magnetic declination is the angle between true north and magnetic north. True north points along Earth’s rotational axis. Magnetic north follows Earth’s magnetic field. Because the magnetic poles do not match the geographic poles, a compass does not point exactly toward true north.

The size of ma...

Magnetic declination is the angle between true north or astronomic north and magnetic north. This angle arises because Earth's magnetic poles do not align with its geographic poles. 

The magnetic declination varies by location and changes over time due to shifts in Earth's magnet...