Magnetic North Pole migration seems to be accelerating.

[IainB]

This was a relatively scientific  report: Magnetic north shifting by 40 miles a year, might signal pole reversal

I just watched this, and it seems that the Earth's MNP has shifted a further 161 miles in the last 6 months - assuming the plotting/triangulation was accurate. That's pretty fast for something that was always thought to be a relatively slow and steady process: SHOCK: North Pole Shifted 161 Miles in Last 6 Months

I recall that the Sun's MNP flips approx. every 11 years at the solar maximum. The last time was apparently in 2001 - refer The Sun Does a Flip

Interesting times!

[4wd]

"Reversals typically take about 10,000 years to happen," said Jeffrey Love of the U.S. Geological Survey. "And 10,000 years ago civilisation did not exist. These processes are slow, and therefore we don't have anything to worry about."

That's what Cthulhu thought too, now his whole city is underwater.

[pilgrim]

Magnetic north shifting by 40 miles a year, might signal pole reversal

SHOCK: North Pole Shifted 161 Miles in Last 6 Months

Perhaps it's found somewhere that offers a greater attraction? 

[Stoic Joker]

How far can it shift before the sky falls?

Sudden polar shift will jumpstart the Zombies...eek!

It's those pesky Russians trying to steal the north pole ... Attack!!!

[wraith808]

How far can it shift before the sky falls?

Should we bring James Bond in on this?  Or just Adele?

[Stoic Joker]

Or just Adele?

No reason the apocalypse can't have background music I can think of.

[rgdot]

So Raoul Silva is causing this?

[superboyac]

Yes, the magnetic pole is shifting.  no big deal.  nothing much will be affected.  But...if it just so happens that the sun gives off a massive solar flare during a window of the pole transition where the field is neutral or weak, it could be the end.  hell on earth.

[40hz]

It's all because of Obamacare. Just like it's the cause of everything else - according to some people.

[superboyac]

It's all because of Obamacare. Just like it's the cause of everything else - according to some people.

oh yea, the singer of the band I'm in...whenever she gets angry, she says "f---ing Obama." 

[40hz]

It's all because of Obamacare. Just like it's the cause of everything else - according to some people.

oh yea, the singer of the band I'm in...whenever she gets angry, she says "f---ing Obama."  

My sister too - although she really can't say why. At which point I usually rip her a second orifice...

Not that I'm a fan of this particular president. But it drives me nuts when people cop an attitude about something - or ape somebody else's opinion - and they've got absolutely nothing to back it up with.

I can't stand lazy thinkers. Even if this one is my own sister whom I (mostly) love dearly.

[superboyac]

But it drives me nuts when people cop an attitude about something - or ape somebody else's opinion - and they've got absolutely nothing to back it up with.

(er...perhaps I'm pessimistic, but wouldn't that be like 90% of the people you know?) 

[wraith808]

Not that I'm a fan of this particular president. But it drives me nuts when people cop an attitude about something - or ape somebody else's opinion - and they've got absolutely nothing to back it up with.

Eh... he's no better or worse than any of them in modern times, truthfully.  It's the environment that they exist in rather than the President from my observations...

[IainB]

Two words: Mayan ruddy Calender.

[Tinman57]

  If the earth flipped polarity, wouldn't that make electrical motors run backwards? 

[barney]

  If the earth flipped polarity, wouldn't that make electrical motors run backwards? 

If so, would that mean that Tesla vehicles would have several speeds backward, one (1) speed forward  ?

[AndyM]

Won't compasses be affected?

[barney]

Won't compasses be affected?

There's been debate on that aspect.  Some say that the reversal - assuming it occurs - would have no long-term effect, as the poles will completely reverse.  Others argue that North and South will be completely reversed, but the overall effect would be minuscule.  And there have been a few complaining about the current traversal radically changing the difference 'tween true and magnetic north.  Since any navigator is aware of that existing difference, 'twould be simply a matter of making appropriate adjustments.  That's a simplistic description, but I don't have the math to understand significant parts of the arguments.

Basically, the arguments have become that you can still find your way through Yellowstone Park, but you might end up at the wrong port if you're making a sea passage from one (1) continent to the other.  Mostly, the theorists agree that it won't affect air travel, since radar will pretty make up the difference.

I don't know that I countenance any of the positions espoused ... just have to wait and see (and hope the doomsayers are as incorrect as usual  ).

[IainB]

I gather that some people are understandably very worried that the poles flipping like that will mean that, if one lives in the Northern hemisphere, then one will suddenly be whisked to the Southern hemisphere, and vice versa - without any warning or a by your leave - and to top it off there is a potential risk that one might catch a nasty dose of sunburn as the bit of the planet one is standing on momentarily passes through the Equator, or something.
It's enough to give anyone a sleepless night.

[Tinman57]

  There's "True North" and "Magnetic North".  If the poles reversed, compasses would still work, just in reverse, North would be South.  Magnetic North, depending on where you live in the world, is off by so many degrees.  If memory serves since I was in flight school, anywhere from 2 to 7 degrees.  Here where I live it's off positive 4 degrees.  If polarity reverses, True North and Magnetic North would be opposite, which would take quite a bit more calculations along with the confusion.....

[40hz]

If polarity reverses, True North and Magnetic North would be opposite, which would take quite a bit more calculations along with the confusion.....

Am I missing something?

If the polarity reverses, wouldn't it just be easier to announce that south is now the colored end of the compass needle and north is the silver end? That and simply recalibrate electronic compasses since it shouldn't matter if true north is out from magnetic by 4 or 184 degrees as long as you know how much the deviation is?

It would only be a real problem while it's shifting. Once it stabilized it shouldn't matter.

Fortunately, GPS and gyrocompass systems shouldn't be affected.

[barney]

Am I missing something?

If the polarity reverses, wouldn't it just be easier to announce that south is now the colored end of the compass needle and north is the silver end? That and simply recalibrate electronic compasses since it shouldn't matter if true north is out from magnetic by 4 or 184 degrees as long as you know how much the deviation is?

It would only be a real problem while it's shifting. Once it stabilized it shouldn't matter.

Navigationally, as you say, there should be no problem.  However, the doomsayers are of two (2) minds.  One (1) faction predicts life-threatening exposure to solar events during the shift.  (While that is semi-verifiable, it is also predictable.)  The other faction warns of unknown, possibly weather-related, life-threatening events during the shift (can you say Mayan calendar  ?).

[Stoic Joker]

Oh hell no, the Mayan's already picked their day...and missed. They're not getting credit for this one. They'll just have to go sit in the false prophets box with the rest of the apocalypse pool losers.

[pilgrim]

I have concerns about this thread, I just opened it to read the latest posts and the first thing I saw was this:

(Read 666 times)

Actually I don't know what all the fuss is about, politicians are a far more imminent danger, their actions can have global consequence and they change position frequently.

EDIT:

ADD

After I wrote this post I found the following and just had to include it:

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=government&defid=2796760

7. government

government is like a condom in that it allows for inflation, halts production, destroys subsequent generations, protects a bunch of pricks, and provides its constituents with a sense of security while they are actually being screwed.

[Tinman57]

If polarity reverses, True North and Magnetic North would be opposite, which would take quite a bit more calculations along with the confusion.....

Am I missing something?

If the polarity reverses, wouldn't it just be easier to announce that south is now the colored end of the compass needle and north is the silver end? That and simply recalibrate electronic compasses since it shouldn't matter if true north is out from magnetic by 4 or 184 degrees as long as you know how much the deviation is?

It would only be a real problem while it's shifting. Once it stabilized it shouldn't matter.

Fortunately, GPS and gyrocompass systems shouldn't be affected.

  Yeah, you can announce it, but what about the printing on the compass?  North wouldn't be North anymore, along with the other references.  You would have to scrape off N, S, E and W and reverse them all. Gyro compasses would be affected as well if they are the pin & needle type with the needle pointing towards the references.  But I would think that even the digital ones would be off as far as east and west goes.

  EDIT:  I was in a rush when I typed this.  After I went to bed I got to thinking about what I said and realized that I got to talking about two different Nav technologies.