The Magnetic North Pole was discovered on 1 June 1831.

Did you know that the earth is home to two North Poles located in the Arctic region – a geographic true North Pole and a magnetic North Pole?

The true north pole and the magnetic north pole are not in the same place.

True North (geographic North Pole): the northernmost point on the earth’s surface. It is the top of the Earth’s fixed "axis" upon which it spins. The North Pole is about 450 miles (725 km) north of Greenland in the middle of the Arctic Ocean. Most of the time, sea ice covers the North Pole.

Magnetic North:is the place where compass needles actually point. Magnetic north is located hundred of miles south of the geographic North Pole lies the magnetic North Pole at approximately 82.7° North and 114.4° West (2005), northwest of Canada’s Sverdrup Island.

Who discovered the Magnetic North Pole?

James Clark Ross (1800-1862), commander in the British Navy and an experienced Arctic explorer, discovered the Magnetic North Pole on 1 June 1831.

The wandering magnetic North Pole

When the magnetic north pole was revisited in 1904, explorers found it had moved by 50km (31 miles) from where it had been when first discovered in 1831.

In 1989 it sped up again, and in 2007 scientists confirmed that the pole is now galloping toward Siberia at 34 to 37 miles (55 to 60 kilometres) a year.

Earth’s north magnetic pole is racing toward Russia at almost 40 miles (64 kilometres) a year due to magnetic changes in the planet’s core, new research says.

Also on this day …

Today marks the beginning of the hurricane season in many parts of the world.