The north magnetic pole — what your compass actually points at — is not the geographic North Pole, and it drifts. For centuries it wandered slowly around the Canadian Arctic; since the 1990s it has bolted across the top of the planet toward Siberia at record speed. That movement quietly changes the magnetic declination you correct for on every map and compass bearing. Spin the globe to look down at the pole and watch its track from 1590 to today.
Your compass points at a target that keeps moving.
The north magnetic pole — what your compass actually points at — is not the geographic pole, and lately it’s racing toward Siberia.
Positions come from geomagnetic models. The practical takeaway: declination changes over years, so check the current value for your area and know how to correct a compass bearing to true north.
