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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/scout-declination-meaning

On a map and compass, what is magnetic declination?

The angle between magnetic north and true north.

  1. The angle between magnetic north and true north ✔
  2. How far a compass needle dips toward the ground
  3. The height difference between two contour lines

Why: Your compass points to magnetic north, but map lines point to true north. Declination is the angle between the two, and you correct for it so your bearing matches the map.

Huh, didn't know that: Declination is called positive when magnetic north is east of true north and negative when it is west.

The dad joke
I bought a cheap compass. It was a little off, but I decided it had its bearings anyway.
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Sources

  1. NOAA NCEI: Magnetic Declination https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/magnetic-declination

Test yourself in the game

Outdoors & CampingA regular hiking compass needle points toward which north?Outdoors & CampingWhy might the declination printed on an old topo map be wrong today?Outdoors & CampingWhat does it mean to orient a map?

That's stuff everyone should know.