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Available in 22 languages" > <label id="p-lang-btn-label" for="p-lang-btn-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--action-progressive mw-portlet-lang-heading-22" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-language-progressive mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-language-progressive"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">22 languages</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-af mw-list-item"><a href="https://af.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ware_noord" title="Ware noord – Afrikaans" lang="af" hreflang="af" data-title="Ware noord" data-language-autonym="Afrikaans" data-language-local-name="Afrikaans" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Afrikaans</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ast mw-list-item"><a href="https://ast.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norte_verdaderu" title="Norte verdaderu – Asturian" lang="ast" hreflang="ast" data-title="Norte verdaderu" data-language-autonym="Asturianu" data-language-local-name="Asturian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Asturianu</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ca mw-list-item"><a href="https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nord_veritable" title="Nord veritable – Catalan" lang="ca" hreflang="ca" data-title="Nord veritable" data-language-autonym="Català" data-language-local-name="Catalan" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Català</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-es mw-list-item"><a href="https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norte_verdadero" title="Norte verdadero – Spanish" lang="es" hreflang="es" data-title="Norte verdadero" data-language-autonym="Español" data-language-local-name="Spanish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Español</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fa mw-list-item"><a href="https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B4%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%84_%D8%AD%D9%82%DB%8C%D9%82%DB%8C" title="شمال حقیقی – Persian" lang="fa" hreflang="fa" data-title="شمال حقیقی" data-language-autonym="فارسی" data-language-local-name="Persian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>فارسی</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fr mw-list-item"><a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vrai_Nord" title="Vrai Nord – French" lang="fr" hreflang="fr" data-title="Vrai Nord" data-language-autonym="Français" data-language-local-name="French" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Français</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ko mw-list-item"><a href="https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%EC%A7%84%EB%B6%81" title="진북 – Korean" lang="ko" hreflang="ko" data-title="진북" data-language-autonym="한국어" data-language-local-name="Korean" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>한국어</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ilo mw-list-item"><a href="https://ilo.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pudno_nga_amianan" title="Pudno nga amianan – Iloko" lang="ilo" hreflang="ilo" data-title="Pudno nga amianan" data-language-autonym="Ilokano" data-language-local-name="Iloko" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Ilokano</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-id mw-list-item"><a href="https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utara_sejati" title="Utara sejati – Indonesian" lang="id" hreflang="id" data-title="Utara sejati" data-language-autonym="Bahasa Indonesia" data-language-local-name="Indonesian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Bahasa Indonesia</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-is mw-list-item"><a href="https://is.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%A9tt_nor%C3%B0ur" title="Rétt norður – Icelandic" lang="is" hreflang="is" data-title="Rétt norður" data-language-autonym="Íslenska" data-language-local-name="Icelandic" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Íslenska</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-he mw-list-item"><a href="https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%A6%D7%A4%D7%95%D7%9F_%D7%90%D7%9E%D7%99%D7%AA%D7%99" title="צפון אמיתי – Hebrew" lang="he" hreflang="he" data-title="צפון אמיתי" data-language-autonym="עברית" data-language-local-name="Hebrew" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>עברית</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ms mw-list-item"><a href="https://ms.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utara_benar" title="Utara benar – Malay" lang="ms" hreflang="ms" data-title="Utara benar" data-language-autonym="Bahasa Melayu" data-language-local-name="Malay" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Bahasa Melayu</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-nl mw-list-item"><a href="https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ware_noorden" title="Ware noorden – Dutch" lang="nl" hreflang="nl" data-title="Ware noorden" data-language-autonym="Nederlands" data-language-local-name="Dutch" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Nederlands</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ja mw-list-item"><a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%9C%9F%E5%8C%97" title="真北 – Japanese" lang="ja" hreflang="ja" data-title="真北" data-language-autonym="日本語" data-language-local-name="Japanese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>日本語</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-no mw-list-item"><a href="https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sann_nord" title="Sann nord – Norwegian Bokmål" lang="nb" hreflang="nb" data-title="Sann nord" data-language-autonym="Norsk bokmål" data-language-local-name="Norwegian Bokmål" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Norsk bokmål</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-nn mw-list-item"><a href="https://nn.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sann_nord" title="Sann nord – Norwegian Nynorsk" lang="nn" hreflang="nn" data-title="Sann nord" data-language-autonym="Norsk nynorsk" data-language-local-name="Norwegian Nynorsk" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Norsk nynorsk</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pt mw-list-item"><a href="https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norte_verdadeiro" title="Norte verdadeiro – Portuguese" lang="pt" hreflang="pt" data-title="Norte verdadeiro" data-language-autonym="Português" data-language-local-name="Portuguese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Português</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fi mw-list-item"><a href="https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napapohjoinen" title="Napapohjoinen – Finnish" lang="fi" hreflang="fi" data-title="Napapohjoinen" data-language-autonym="Suomi" data-language-local-name="Finnish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Suomi</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ta mw-list-item"><a href="https://ta.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%AE%89%E0%AE%A3%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%AE%E0%AF%88_%E0%AE%B5%E0%AE%9F%E0%AE%95%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%95%E0%AF%81" title="உண்மை வடக்கு – Tamil" lang="ta" hreflang="ta" data-title="உண்மை வடக்கு" data-language-autonym="தமிழ்" data-language-local-name="Tamil" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>தமிழ்</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-tr mw-list-item"><a href="https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ger%C3%A7ek_kuzey" title="Gerçek kuzey – Turkish" lang="tr" hreflang="tr" data-title="Gerçek kuzey" data-language-autonym="Türkçe" data-language-local-name="Turkish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Türkçe</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-vi mw-list-item"><a href="https://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ph%C3%ADa_b%E1%BA%AFc_th%E1%BB%B1c" title="Phía bắc thực – Vietnamese" lang="vi" hreflang="vi" data-title="Phía bắc thực" data-language-autonym="Tiếng Việt" data-language-local-name="Vietnamese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Tiếng Việt</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-zh mw-list-item"><a href="https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%9C%9F%E5%8C%97" title="真北 – Chinese" lang="zh" hreflang="zh" data-title="真北" data-language-autonym="中文" data-language-local-name="Chinese" 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class="mw-content-ltr mw-parser-output" lang="en" dir="ltr"><div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none">Direction on Earth's surface</div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236090951">.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">For other uses, see <a href="/wiki/True_north_(disambiguation)" class="mw-disambig" title="True north (disambiguation)">True north (disambiguation)</a>.</div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">"True south" redirects here. For the flag used to represent Antarctica, see <a href="/wiki/Flag_of_Antarctica" title="Flag of Antarctica">Flag of Antarctica</a>.</div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1251242444">.mw-parser-output .ambox{border:1px solid #a2a9b1;border-left:10px solid #36c;background-color:#fbfbfb;box-sizing:border-box}.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+style+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+style+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+link+.ambox{margin-top:-1px}html body.mediawiki .mw-parser-output .ambox.mbox-small-left{margin:4px 1em 4px 0;overflow:hidden;width:238px;border-collapse:collapse;font-size:88%;line-height:1.25em}.mw-parser-output .ambox-speedy{border-left:10px solid #b32424;background-color:#fee7e6}.mw-parser-output .ambox-delete{border-left:10px solid #b32424}.mw-parser-output .ambox-content{border-left:10px solid #f28500}.mw-parser-output .ambox-style{border-left:10px solid #fc3}.mw-parser-output .ambox-move{border-left:10px solid #9932cc}.mw-parser-output .ambox-protection{border-left:10px solid #a2a9b1}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-text{border:none;padding:0.25em 0.5em;width:100%}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-image{border:none;padding:2px 0 2px 0.5em;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-imageright{border:none;padding:2px 0.5em 2px 0;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-empty-cell{border:none;padding:0;width:1px}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-image-div{width:52px}@media(min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .ambox{margin:0 10%}}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .ambox{display:none!important}}</style><table class="box-More_citations_needed plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-content ambox-Refimprove" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><div class="mbox-image-div"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Question_book-new.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/50px-Question_book-new.svg.png" decoding="async" width="50" height="39" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/75px-Question_book-new.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/100px-Question_book-new.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="512" data-file-height="399" /></a></span></div></td><td class="mbox-text"><div class="mbox-text-span">This article <b>needs additional citations for <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability" title="Wikipedia:Verifiability">verification</a></b>.<span class="hide-when-compact"> Please help <a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/True_north" title="Special:EditPage/True north">improve this article</a> by <a href="/wiki/Help:Referencing_for_beginners" title="Help:Referencing for beginners">adding citations to reliable sources</a>. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.<br /><small><span class="plainlinks"><i>Find sources:</i> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?as_eq=wikipedia&q=%22True+north%22">"True north"</a> – <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?tbm=nws&q=%22True+north%22+-wikipedia&tbs=ar:1">news</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?&q=%22True+north%22&tbs=bkt:s&tbm=bks">newspapers</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?tbs=bks:1&q=%22True+north%22+-wikipedia">books</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22True+north%22">scholar</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=%22True+north%22&acc=on&wc=on">JSTOR</a></span></small></span> <span class="date-container"><i>(<span class="date">May 2012</span>)</i></span><span class="hide-when-compact"><i> (<small><a href="/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removal" title="Help:Maintenance template removal">Learn how and when to remove this message</a></small>)</i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p><b>True north</b> (also called <b>geodetic north</b> or <b>geographic north</b>) is the direction along <a href="/wiki/Earth" title="Earth">Earth</a>'s surface towards the place where the imaginary rotational axis of the Earth intersects the surface of the Earth. That place is called the True <a href="/wiki/North_Pole" title="North Pole">North Pole</a>. <b>True south</b> is the direction opposite to the true north. <b>North</b> per se is one of the <a href="/wiki/Cardinal_direction" title="Cardinal direction">cardinal directions</a>, a system of naming orientations on the Earth. There are multiple ways of determining the North in different contexts. </p><p>It is important to make a distinction between the <i>magnetic</i> north and <a href="/wiki/Magnetic_North_Pole" class="mw-redirect" title="Magnetic North Pole">Magnetic North Pole</a>, which is a less steady location close to the True North Pole determined by a compass and the <a href="/wiki/Earth%27s_magnetic_field" title="Earth's magnetic field">magnetic field of the Earth</a>. Due to fundamental limitations in <a href="/wiki/Map_projection" title="Map projection">map projection</a>, true north also differs from the <a href="/wiki/Grid_north" class="mw-redirect" title="Grid north">grid north</a> which is marked by the direction of the grid lines on a typical printed map. However, the <a href="/wiki/Geographic_coordinate_system" title="Geographic coordinate system">longitude lines</a> on a <a href="/wiki/Globe" title="Globe">globe</a> lead to the true poles, because the three-dimensional representation avoids those limitations. </p><p>The <a href="/wiki/Celestial_pole" title="Celestial pole">celestial pole</a> is the location on the imaginary <a href="/wiki/Celestial_sphere" title="Celestial sphere">celestial sphere</a> where an imaginary extension of the rotational axis of the Earth intersects the celestial sphere. Within a margin of error of 1°, the true north direction can be approximated by the position of the <a href="/wiki/Pole_star" title="Pole star">pole star</a> <a href="/wiki/Polaris" title="Polaris">Polaris</a> which would currently appear to be very close to the intersection, <a href="/wiki/Star_trail" title="Star trail">tracing</a> a tiny circle in the sky each <a href="/wiki/Sidereal_time" title="Sidereal time">sidereal day</a>. Due to the <a href="/wiki/Axial_precession" title="Axial precession">axial precession</a> of Earth, true north rotates in an arc with respect to <a href="/wiki/Fixed_stars" title="Fixed stars">the stars</a> that takes approximately 25,000 years to complete. Around 2101–2103, Polaris will make its closest approach to the celestial north pole (extrapolated from recent Earth <a href="/wiki/Precession" title="Precession">precession</a>).<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMeeus1997305_1-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEMeeus1997305-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMcClure2013_2-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEMcClure2013-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTESmileyKhan1959250_3-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTESmileyKhan1959250-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The visible star nearest the north celestial pole 5,000 years ago was <a href="/wiki/Thuban" title="Thuban">Thuban</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTERidpath20045_4-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTERidpath20045-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>On maps published by the <a href="/wiki/United_States_Geological_Survey" title="United States Geological Survey">United States Geological Survey</a> (USGS) and the <a href="/wiki/United_States_Armed_Forces" title="United States Armed Forces">United States Armed Forces</a>, true north is marked with a line terminating in a five-pointed star.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The east and west edges of the USGS topographic quadrangle maps of the United States are <a href="/wiki/Meridian_(geography)" title="Meridian (geography)">meridians</a> of <a href="/wiki/Longitude" title="Longitude">longitude</a>, thus indicating true north (so they are not exactly parallel). Maps issued by the <a href="/wiki/United_Kingdom" title="United Kingdom">United Kingdom</a> <a href="/wiki/Ordnance_Survey" title="Ordnance Survey">Ordnance Survey</a> contain a diagram showing the difference between true north, grid north, and magnetic north at a point on the sheet; the edges of the map are likely to follow grid directions rather than true, and the map will thus be truly rectangular/square.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (October 2022)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=True_north&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist"> <div class="mw-references-wrap"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEMeeus1997305-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMeeus1997305_1-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFMeeus1997">Meeus 1997</a>, p. 305.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEMcClure2013-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMcClure2013_2-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFMcClure2013">McClure 2013</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTESmileyKhan1959250-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTESmileyKhan1959250_3-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFSmileyKhan1959">Smiley & Khan 1959</a>, p. 250.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTERidpath20045-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-FOOTNOTERidpath20045_4-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFRidpath2004">Ridpath 2004</a>, p. 5: "Around 4800 years ago Thuban (<style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1180947483">.mw-parser-output .polytonic{font-family:"SBL BibLit","SBL Greek","New Athena Unicode","EB Garamond","EB Garamond 12","Foulis Greek","Garamond Libre","Noto Sans","Noto Serif","Cardo","Gentium Plus","Gentium Book Plus","Garamond","Palatino Linotype","DejaVu Sans","DejaVu Serif","FreeSerif","FreeSans","Arial Unicode MS","Lucida Sans Unicode","Lucida Grande","Code2000",sans-serif}</style><span class="polytonic">α</span> Draconis) lay a mere 0°.1 from the pole. Deneb (<link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1180947483"><span class="polytonic">α</span> Cygni) will be the brightest star near the pole in about 8000 years' time, at a distance of 7°.5."</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/what-do-different-north-arrows-a-usgs-topographic-map-mean">"What do the different north arrows on a USGS topographic map mean?"</a>. <i>United States Geological Survey</i>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=United+States+Geological+Survey&rft.atitle=What+do+the+different+north+arrows+on+a+USGS+topographic+map+mean%3F&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.usgs.gov%2Ffaqs%2Fwhat-do-different-north-arrows-a-usgs-topographic-map-mean&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATrue+north" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> </ol></div></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Sources">Sources</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=True_north&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Sources"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFMcClure2013" class="citation web cs1">McClure, Bruce (2013). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://earthsky.org/brightest-stars/polaris-the-present-day-north-star">"Polaris is the North Star"</a>. <i>Astronomy Essentials</i>. <a href="/wiki/EarthSky" class="mw-redirect" title="EarthSky">EarthSky</a>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20140309155804/http://earthsky.org/brightest-stars/polaris-the-present-day-north-star">Archived</a> from the original on 2014-03-09<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2014-04-28</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Astronomy+Essentials&rft.atitle=Polaris+is+the+North+Star&rft.date=2013&rft.aulast=McClure&rft.aufirst=Bruce&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fearthsky.org%2Fbrightest-stars%2Fpolaris-the-present-day-north-star&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATrue+north" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFMeeus1997" class="citation book cs1">Meeus, Jean (1997). <i>Mathematical Astronomy Morsels</i>. <a href="/wiki/Richmond,_VA" class="mw-redirect" title="Richmond, VA">Richmond, VA</a>: Willmann-Bell. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-943396-51-4" title="Special:BookSources/0-943396-51-4"><bdi>0-943396-51-4</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Mathematical+Astronomy+Morsels&rft.place=Richmond%2C+VA&rft.pub=Willmann-Bell&rft.date=1997&rft.isbn=0-943396-51-4&rft.aulast=Meeus&rft.aufirst=Jean&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATrue+north" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFRidpath2004" class="citation book cs1">Ridpath, Ian, ed. (2004). <span class="id-lock-registration" title="Free registration required"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/nortonsstaratlas00ianr"><i>Norton's Star Atlas</i></a></span>. New York: <a href="/wiki/Pearson_Education" title="Pearson Education">Pearson Education</a>. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-13-145164-2" title="Special:BookSources/0-13-145164-2"><bdi>0-13-145164-2</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Norton%27s+Star+Atlas&rft.place=New+York&rft.pub=Pearson+Education&rft.date=2004&rft.isbn=0-13-145164-2&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Fnortonsstaratlas00ianr&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATrue+north" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFSmileyKhan1959" class="citation journal cs1">Smiley, C. H.; Khan, A. Majid (1959). "Polaris and Precession". <i>Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada</i>. <b>53</b>: 249. <a href="/wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Bibcode (identifier)">Bibcode</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1959JRASC..53..249S">1959JRASC..53..249S</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Journal+of+the+Royal+Astronomical+Society+of+Canada&rft.atitle=Polaris+and+Precession&rft.volume=53&rft.pages=249&rft.date=1959&rft_id=info%3Abibcode%2F1959JRASC..53..249S&rft.aulast=Smiley&rft.aufirst=C.+H.&rft.au=Khan%2C+A.+Majid&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATrue+north" class="Z3988"></span></li></ul> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1012311289">.mw-parser-output .asbox{position:relative;overflow:hidden}.mw-parser-output .asbox table{background:transparent}.mw-parser-output .asbox p{margin:0}.mw-parser-output .asbox p+p{margin-top:0.25em}.mw-parser-output .asbox-body{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output .asbox-note{font-size:smaller}.mw-parser-output .asbox .navbar{position:absolute;top:-0.75em;right:1em;display:none}</style><div role="note" class="metadata plainlinks asbox stub"><table role="presentation"><tbody><tr class="noresize"><td><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Armillary_sphere.png" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="Stub icon" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/82/Armillary_sphere.png/30px-Armillary_sphere.png" decoding="async" width="30" height="39" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/82/Armillary_sphere.png/45px-Armillary_sphere.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/82/Armillary_sphere.png/60px-Armillary_sphere.png 2x" data-file-width="810" data-file-height="1059" /></a></span></td><td><p class="asbox-body">This article about <a href="/wiki/Geography" title="Geography">geography terminology</a> is a <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Stub" title="Wikipedia:Stub">stub</a>. 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