If you think your compass has been directing you true north, you are wrong.
At some point over the next two weeks compasses at Greenwich will point true north for the first time in about 360 years.
And for some parts of the UK, this may not happen for another 20 years.
Either way, it is a once-in-a-lifetime event.
The angle a compass needle makes between true north and magnetic north is called declination.
As the magnetic field changes all the time, so does declination at any given location.
1/50 30 August 2019
One of the iconic ‘Girl with Balloon’ artworks by anonymous street artist Banksy is carried near one of the original locations the artwork appeared at on the Southbank in London
AP
2/50 29 August 2019
The sun rises over the sculpture “The Couple” by artist Sean Henry, at Newbiggin-by-the-sea in Northumberland
PA
3/50 28 August 2019
A person wearing a Boris Johnson ‘head’ digs a grave at the foot of a tombstone during a protest organised by Avaaz and Best for Britain, outside Downing Street in London
PA
4/50 27 August 2019
Nat Lofthouse statue is covered in flags at the University of Bolton Stadium, Bolton
Action Images via Reuters
5/50 26 August 2019
Performers take part in Notting Hill Carnival. Nearly one million people were expected to attend Sunday and Monday’s carnival to celebrate Caribbean culture.
AFP/Getty
6/50 25 August 2019
A competitor swims in the World Bog Snorkelling Championships in Llanwryd Wells, Powys.
Reuters
7/50 24 August 2019
People flock to Bournemouth beach as a heatwave spells potentially record high temperatures for the bank holiday weekend.
PA
8/50 23 August 2019
Fans of Bury FC deliver a symbolic coffin to the club’s home at Gigg Lane as the continuation of their membership to the football league lies in doubt. The club will lose their membership at midnight if they don’t find a buyer or prove that they have the means to pay off their debts.
PA
9/50 22 August 2019
Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn and Shadow DEFRA Secretary Sue Hayman during a visit to Rakefoot Farm, Castlerigg, Keswick where they are highlighting the danger of a No Deal Brexit to sheep farmers.
PA
10/50 21 August 2019
Festival goers walk along the towpath of the River Thames as they arrive for the Reading Festival at Richfield Avenue.
PA
11/50 20 August 2019
Police officers gather to pay their respects at the scene near Ufton Lane, where Thames Valley Police officer PC Andrew Harper, 28, died on Thursday. Jed Foster, 20, has appeared at Reading Magristrates’ Court where denied any involvement with the murder.
PA
12/50 19 August 2019
A fire that broke out at the site of Village Bakery on Coed Aben Road, Wrexham Industrial Estate in Wales.
Jord_wxm29/Twitter/PA
13/50 18 August 2019
England fielders crowd Pat Cummins as he see’s out the final over during day five of the second Ashes Test match against Australia at Lord’s Cricket Ground. The test ended in a draw.
Getty
14/50 17 August 2019
Glew (centre) and Monroe Adams (right) pose for a selfie with a member of the public outside DragWorld London 2019, Europe’s largest drag convention, featuring drag stars from the US and UK during a two-day event at Olympia, London.
PA
15/50 16 August 2019
A grey seal with fishing net tangled around its neck amongst the colony on the beach at Horsey in Norfolk, as RSPCA data show the number of animals affected by plastic litter is at an all-time high, with incidents increasing by 22% in just four years.
PA
16/50 15 August 2019
A flock of sheep are herded past government buildings in London by members of Farmers for a People’s Vote, a campaign group.
PA
17/50 14 August 2019
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg speaks during a press conference at the Mayflower Marina in Plymouth, southwest England, on August 14, 2019, ahead of her journey across the Atlantic to New York, aboard the Malizia II IMOCA class sailing yacht, where she will attend the UN Climate Action Summit next month. – A year after her school strike made her a figurehead for climate activists, Greta Thunberg believes her uncompromising message about global warming is getting through — even if action remains thin on the ground. The 16-year-old Swede, who sets sail for New York this week to take her message to the United States, has been a target for abuse but sees that as proof she is having an effect.
AFP/Getty Images
18/50 12 August 2019
A hare runs on a moor near Ripon, North Yorkshire.
PA
19/50 11 August 2019
Britain’s Jamie Chadwick wins first-ever W Series title. She pocketed a prize of £410,000 and, having been signed as a development driver for Williams, she keeps up her hopes of making it into Formula One.
Getty
20/50 10 August 2019
People gather on the beach as a raft carrying people dressed as clowns heads to shore during the annual Whitby Regatta in Whitby, England. At over 170 years old, the Whitby Regatta is thought to be the oldest sea regatta on the northeast coast of England and draws thousands of visitors each year.
Getty
21/50 9 August 2019
Burryman Andrew Taylor, gets a nip of whisky using a straw, from resident Mary Hamblin, 82, as he parades through the town of South Queensferry, near Edinburgh, encased in burrs. The parade takes place on the second Friday of August each year and although the exact meaning of this tradition has been lost through the years it is thought to have begun in the 17th Century. The tradition is believed to bring good luck to the towns people if they give him whisky offered through a straw or a donation of money.
PA
22/50 8 August 2019
A mosque is seen amongst residential housing from the air during a mass take off at the annual Bristol hot air balloon festival in Bristol.
Reuters
23/50 7 August 2019
An Asiatic lioness eats meat during feeding time ahead of World Lion Day at London Zoo.
Reuters
24/50 6 August 2019
Beer enthusiasts taste beer and ale during The Great British Beer Festival at Kensington Olympia in west London. The Great British Beer Festival, organised by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), brings hundreds of real ales, international beers and real ciders and perries under one roof.
AFP/Getty Images
25/50 5 August 2019
Australia’s Nathan Lyon celebrates after taking the wicket of England’s Joe Root during day five of the first Ashes test at Edgbaston. The hosts were on the end of a thumping, as Australia won the first test by 251 runs.
Getty
26/50 4 August 2019
Franky Zapata stands on his jet-powered “flyboard” prior to landing on St. Margaret’s Bay in Dover, during his attempt to fly across the 35-kilometre (22-mile) Channel crossing. The Frenchman achieved his aim today, on his second attempt, after having spent years developing the jet-powered hoverboard.
AFP/Getty
27/50 3 August 2019
A Cricket fan wears a Donald Trump inflatable, during day three of the first Ashes test cricket match between England and Australia at Edgbaston in Birmingham.
AP
28/50 2 August 2019
An RAF Chinook helicopter flies in sandbags to help repair the dam at Toddbrook Reservoir which was damaged in heavy rainfall.
PA
29/50 1 August 2019
Stuart Broad celebrates after taking the wicket of David Warner during day one of the first Ashes test between England and Australia at Edgbaston. England fans celebrated the loss of David Warner and Cameron Bancroft dismissals by waving sandpaper after they both faced bans for their roles in the Sandpaper scandal last year. Australia were all out for 284 after Steve Smith frustrated the hosts with a total of 144. He helped drag his side from 122-8.
Getty
30/50 31 July 2019
A collapsed bridge near Grinton, North Yorkshire, after parts of the region had up to 82.2mm of rain in 24 hours on Tuesday.
PA
31/50 30 July 2019
Acrobats Beren d’Amico, Louis Gift and Charlie Wheeller, from Barely Methodical Troupe perform a routine on Calton Hill in Edinburgh as they bring their debut show Bromance to the Edinburgh Fringe.
PA
32/50 29 July 2019
Theresa the robotic waitress at The Tea Terrace’s Cobham branch in Surrey. Theresa represents the 6th Generation of robotic waitresses which were first launched in Japan a few years ago. The robot comes with autonomous navigation; automatic obstacle avoidance, voice conversation, and automatic dish delivery. It integrates core technologies in automatic control, multi-sensor perceptual collision avoidance and route planning.
PA
33/50 28 July 2019
Competitors during the World Stinging Nettle Eating Championship at The Bottle Inn in Marshwood. Competitors are served 2-foot long stalks of stinging nettles from which they pluck and eat as many leaves as possible.
Getty
34/50 27 July 2019
A woman in character as La Muerte from film The Book of Life, during the MCM Manchester Comic Con which see thousands of sci-fi fans, gamers, comic collectors, movie buffs and anime enthusiasts visit Manchester Central.
PA
35/50 26 July 2019
England’s Jonny Bairstow takes the catch to dismiss Ireland’s William Porterfield during their test march at Lord’s. Ireland were bowled out for 38 in their second innings in just 15.4 overs – the second lowest total in Test match history.
Action Images via Reuters
36/50 25 July 2019
Hamza and Haris splash in the water feature beside the National Football Museum in central Manchester, as the UK braces itself to encounter the hottest July day on record.
PA
37/50 24 July 2019
Boris Johnson waves as he enters 10 Downing Street following his appointment as Prime Minster by the Queen. The former London mayor and foreign secretary won his leadership bid by beating Jeremy Hunt in the Tory race the day before. Theresa May stepped down following her resignation as Conservative Party leader on 7 June.
EPA
38/50 23 July 2019
Swimmers have fun in the sea on a giant inflatable Flamingo, South Beach,Tenby, Pembrokeshire.
Reuters
39/50 22 July 2019
New Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson addresses the audience onstage after she was named as Sir Vince Cable’s successor. Swinson beat fellow candidate Ed Davey by 47,997 votes to 28,021 votes.
Getty
40/50 21 July 2019
Adam Peaty broke his own world record in the men’s 100 metre breaststroke at the World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea. The 24-year-old smashed the previous record of 57.10 seconds he set at last year’s European Championships to win in 56.88. In doing so, the Britain achieved one of his career goals of becoming the first man to break the 57-second barrier in the event.
Reuters
41/50 20 July 2019
London artist Helen Marshall’s People’s Moon project, a giant photographic mosaic shown at the exact hour 50 years ago that Apollo 11 landed the first people on the Moon, at Piccadilly Circus, London.
PA
42/50 19 July 2019
Players from Uganda and Malawi during their Netball World Cup match at the M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool.
PA
43/50 18 July 2019
Artist Steve Messam poses next to his monumental landscape artwork ‘Hush’ which hangs in the moors of Teesdale on July 18, 2019 in Barnard Castle, England. The outdoor installation is inspired by the geology, mining history and landscape of the area. The North Pennines AONB Partnership commissioned the installation which hangs over Bales Hush, a deep gauge in the terrain created when miners flushed the area with water to reveal the geological riches below. Hundreds of metres of recyclable saffron yellow fabric blow in the wind.
Getty
44/50 17 July 2019
Buckingham Palace staff arrange the dining table, a copy of Queen Victoria’s reign dessert table, as part of an exhibition at Buckingham Palace, in London. The exhibition marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Queen Victoria.
AP
45/50 16 July 2019
The Inveraray pipe band parades through the town at the start of the Highland Games in Inverarary, Scotland.
Getty
46/50 15 July 2019
Extinction Rebellion Activists block roads near the Tron Clock tower in Glasgow.
Getty
47/50 14 July 2019
Serbia’s Novak Djokovic raises the winner’s trophy after beating Switzerland’s Roger Federer during their men’s singles final on day thirteen of the 2019 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis Club.
AFP/Getty
48/50 13 July 2019
The referee counts Nathan Gorman out as Daniel Dubois looks on during the British Heavyweight Title fight between Daniel Dubois and Nathan Gorman at The O2 Arena in London.
Getty
49/50 12 July 2019
Giant Panda, Yang Guang, exploring his new home at Edinburgh Zoo after moving in last week.
RZSS/PA
50/50 11 July 2019
England’s captain Eoin Morgan, left, celebrates with teammate Joe Root after winning their Cricket World Cup semi-final match against Australia at Edgbaston in Birmingham. The host nation blew away their rivals by 8 wickets with 107 balls remaining.
AP
1/50 30 August 2019
One of the iconic ‘Girl with Balloon’ artworks by anonymous street artist Banksy is carried near one of the original locations the artwork appeared at on the Southbank in London
AP
2/50 29 August 2019
The sun rises over the sculpture “The Couple” by artist Sean Henry, at Newbiggin-by-the-sea in Northumberland
PA
3/50 28 August 2019
A person wearing a Boris Johnson ‘head’ digs a grave at the foot of a tombstone during a protest organised by Avaaz and Best for Britain, outside Downing Street in London
PA
4/50 27 August 2019
Nat Lofthouse statue is covered in flags at the University of Bolton Stadium, Bolton
Action Images via Reuters
5/50 26 August 2019
Performers take part in Notting Hill Carnival. Nearly one million people were expected to attend Sunday and Monday’s carnival to celebrate Caribbean culture.
AFP/Getty
6/50 25 August 2019
A competitor swims in the World Bog Snorkelling Championships in Llanwryd Wells, Powys.
Reuters
7/50 24 August 2019
People flock to Bournemouth beach as a heatwave spells potentially record high temperatures for the bank holiday weekend.
PA
8/50 23 August 2019
Fans of Bury FC deliver a symbolic coffin to the club’s home at Gigg Lane as the continuation of their membership to the football league lies in doubt. The club will lose their membership at midnight if they don’t find a buyer or prove that they have the means to pay off their debts.
PA
9/50 22 August 2019
Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn and Shadow DEFRA Secretary Sue Hayman during a visit to Rakefoot Farm, Castlerigg, Keswick where they are highlighting the danger of a No Deal Brexit to sheep farmers.
PA
10/50 21 August 2019
Festival goers walk along the towpath of the River Thames as they arrive for the Reading Festival at Richfield Avenue.
PA
11/50 20 August 2019
Police officers gather to pay their respects at the scene near Ufton Lane, where Thames Valley Police officer PC Andrew Harper, 28, died on Thursday. Jed Foster, 20, has appeared at Reading Magristrates’ Court where denied any involvement with the murder.
PA
12/50 19 August 2019
A fire that broke out at the site of Village Bakery on Coed Aben Road, Wrexham Industrial Estate in Wales.
Jord_wxm29/Twitter/PA
13/50 18 August 2019
England fielders crowd Pat Cummins as he see’s out the final over during day five of the second Ashes Test match against Australia at Lord’s Cricket Ground. The test ended in a draw.
Getty
14/50 17 August 2019
Glew (centre) and Monroe Adams (right) pose for a selfie with a member of the public outside DragWorld London 2019, Europe’s largest drag convention, featuring drag stars from the US and UK during a two-day event at Olympia, London.
PA
15/50 16 August 2019
A grey seal with fishing net tangled around its neck amongst the colony on the beach at Horsey in Norfolk, as RSPCA data show the number of animals affected by plastic litter is at an all-time high, with incidents increasing by 22% in just four years.
PA
16/50 15 August 2019
A flock of sheep are herded past government buildings in London by members of Farmers for a People’s Vote, a campaign group.
PA
17/50 14 August 2019
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg speaks during a press conference at the Mayflower Marina in Plymouth, southwest England, on August 14, 2019, ahead of her journey across the Atlantic to New York, aboard the Malizia II IMOCA class sailing yacht, where she will attend the UN Climate Action Summit next month. – A year after her school strike made her a figurehead for climate activists, Greta Thunberg believes her uncompromising message about global warming is getting through — even if action remains thin on the ground. The 16-year-old Swede, who sets sail for New York this week to take her message to the United States, has been a target for abuse but sees that as proof she is having an effect.
AFP/Getty Images
18/50 12 August 2019
A hare runs on a moor near Ripon, North Yorkshire.
PA
19/50 11 August 2019
Britain’s Jamie Chadwick wins first-ever W Series title. She pocketed a prize of £410,000 and, having been signed as a development driver for Williams, she keeps up her hopes of making it into Formula One.
Getty
20/50 10 August 2019
People gather on the beach as a raft carrying people dressed as clowns heads to shore during the annual Whitby Regatta in Whitby, England. At over 170 years old, the Whitby Regatta is thought to be the oldest sea regatta on the northeast coast of England and draws thousands of visitors each year.
Getty
21/50 9 August 2019
Burryman Andrew Taylor, gets a nip of whisky using a straw, from resident Mary Hamblin, 82, as he parades through the town of South Queensferry, near Edinburgh, encased in burrs. The parade takes place on the second Friday of August each year and although the exact meaning of this tradition has been lost through the years it is thought to have begun in the 17th Century. The tradition is believed to bring good luck to the towns people if they give him whisky offered through a straw or a donation of money.
PA
22/50 8 August 2019
A mosque is seen amongst residential housing from the air during a mass take off at the annual Bristol hot air balloon festival in Bristol.
Reuters
23/50 7 August 2019
An Asiatic lioness eats meat during feeding time ahead of World Lion Day at London Zoo.
Reuters
24/50 6 August 2019
Beer enthusiasts taste beer and ale during The Great British Beer Festival at Kensington Olympia in west London. The Great British Beer Festival, organised by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), brings hundreds of real ales, international beers and real ciders and perries under one roof.
AFP/Getty Images
25/50 5 August 2019
Australia’s Nathan Lyon celebrates after taking the wicket of England’s Joe Root during day five of the first Ashes test at Edgbaston. The hosts were on the end of a thumping, as Australia won the first test by 251 runs.
Getty
26/50 4 August 2019
Franky Zapata stands on his jet-powered “flyboard” prior to landing on St. Margaret’s Bay in Dover, during his attempt to fly across the 35-kilometre (22-mile) Channel crossing. The Frenchman achieved his aim today, on his second attempt, after having spent years developing the jet-powered hoverboard.
AFP/Getty
27/50 3 August 2019
A Cricket fan wears a Donald Trump inflatable, during day three of the first Ashes test cricket match between England and Australia at Edgbaston in Birmingham.
AP
28/50 2 August 2019
An RAF Chinook helicopter flies in sandbags to help repair the dam at Toddbrook Reservoir which was damaged in heavy rainfall.
PA
29/50 1 August 2019
Stuart Broad celebrates after taking the wicket of David Warner during day one of the first Ashes test between England and Australia at Edgbaston. England fans celebrated the loss of David Warner and Cameron Bancroft dismissals by waving sandpaper after they both faced bans for their roles in the Sandpaper scandal last year. Australia were all out for 284 after Steve Smith frustrated the hosts with a total of 144. He helped drag his side from 122-8.
Getty
30/50 31 July 2019
A collapsed bridge near Grinton, North Yorkshire, after parts of the region had up to 82.2mm of rain in 24 hours on Tuesday.
PA
31/50 30 July 2019
Acrobats Beren d’Amico, Louis Gift and Charlie Wheeller, from Barely Methodical Troupe perform a routine on Calton Hill in Edinburgh as they bring their debut show Bromance to the Edinburgh Fringe.
PA
32/50 29 July 2019
Theresa the robotic waitress at The Tea Terrace’s Cobham branch in Surrey. Theresa represents the 6th Generation of robotic waitresses which were first launched in Japan a few years ago. The robot comes with autonomous navigation; automatic obstacle avoidance, voice conversation, and automatic dish delivery. It integrates core technologies in automatic control, multi-sensor perceptual collision avoidance and route planning.
PA
33/50 28 July 2019
Competitors during the World Stinging Nettle Eating Championship at The Bottle Inn in Marshwood. Competitors are served 2-foot long stalks of stinging nettles from which they pluck and eat as many leaves as possible.
Getty
34/50 27 July 2019
A woman in character as La Muerte from film The Book of Life, during the MCM Manchester Comic Con which see thousands of sci-fi fans, gamers, comic collectors, movie buffs and anime enthusiasts visit Manchester Central.
PA
35/50 26 July 2019
England’s Jonny Bairstow takes the catch to dismiss Ireland’s William Porterfield during their test march at Lord’s. Ireland were bowled out for 38 in their second innings in just 15.4 overs – the second lowest total in Test match history.
Action Images via Reuters
36/50 25 July 2019
Hamza and Haris splash in the water feature beside the National Football Museum in central Manchester, as the UK braces itself to encounter the hottest July day on record.
PA
37/50 24 July 2019
Boris Johnson waves as he enters 10 Downing Street following his appointment as Prime Minster by the Queen. The former London mayor and foreign secretary won his leadership bid by beating Jeremy Hunt in the Tory race the day before. Theresa May stepped down following her resignation as Conservative Party leader on 7 June.
EPA
38/50 23 July 2019
Swimmers have fun in the sea on a giant inflatable Flamingo, South Beach,Tenby, Pembrokeshire.
Reuters
39/50 22 July 2019
New Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson addresses the audience onstage after she was named as Sir Vince Cable’s successor. Swinson beat fellow candidate Ed Davey by 47,997 votes to 28,021 votes.
Getty
40/50 21 July 2019
Adam Peaty broke his own world record in the men’s 100 metre breaststroke at the World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea. The 24-year-old smashed the previous record of 57.10 seconds he set at last year’s European Championships to win in 56.88. In doing so, the Britain achieved one of his career goals of becoming the first man to break the 57-second barrier in the event.
Reuters
41/50 20 July 2019
London artist Helen Marshall’s People’s Moon project, a giant photographic mosaic shown at the exact hour 50 years ago that Apollo 11 landed the first people on the Moon, at Piccadilly Circus, London.
PA
42/50 19 July 2019
Players from Uganda and Malawi during their Netball World Cup match at the M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool.
PA
43/50 18 July 2019
Artist Steve Messam poses next to his monumental landscape artwork ‘Hush’ which hangs in the moors of Teesdale on July 18, 2019 in Barnard Castle, England. The outdoor installation is inspired by the geology, mining history and landscape of the area. The North Pennines AONB Partnership commissioned the installation which hangs over Bales Hush, a deep gauge in the terrain created when miners flushed the area with water to reveal the geological riches below. Hundreds of metres of recyclable saffron yellow fabric blow in the wind.
Getty
44/50 17 July 2019
Buckingham Palace staff arrange the dining table, a copy of Queen Victoria’s reign dessert table, as part of an exhibition at Buckingham Palace, in London. The exhibition marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Queen Victoria.
AP
45/50 16 July 2019
The Inveraray pipe band parades through the town at the start of the Highland Games in Inverarary, Scotland.
Getty
46/50 15 July 2019
Extinction Rebellion Activists block roads near the Tron Clock tower in Glasgow.
Getty
47/50 14 July 2019
Serbia’s Novak Djokovic raises the winner’s trophy after beating Switzerland’s Roger Federer during their men’s singles final on day thirteen of the 2019 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis Club.
AFP/Getty
48/50 13 July 2019
The referee counts Nathan Gorman out as Daniel Dubois looks on during the British Heavyweight Title fight between Daniel Dubois and Nathan Gorman at The O2 Arena in London.
Getty
49/50 12 July 2019
Giant Panda, Yang Guang, exploring his new home at Edinburgh Zoo after moving in last week.
RZSS/PA
50/50 11 July 2019
England’s captain Eoin Morgan, left, celebrates with teammate Joe Root after winning their Cricket World Cup semi-final match against Australia at Edgbaston in Birmingham. The host nation blew away their rivals by 8 wickets with 107 balls remaining.
AP
Over the past few hundred years in the UK, declination has been negative, meaning that all compass needles have pointed west of true north.
The line of zero declination, called the agonic, is moving westwards at a rate of around 12 miles (20km) per year, experts say.
By next month, for the first time in around 360 years, the compass needle will point directly to true north at Greenwich in London before slowly turning eastwards.
The Royal Observatory Greenwich was established in 1676 and, from 1839, hosted the specialised magnetic observatory which made continuous measurements from 1840 onwards.
In 1926 the instruments were moved to Abinger in Surrey, as electrified railway lines had made it impossible to measure the magnetic field.
Dr Ciaran Beggan, a geomagnetism scientist at the British Geological Survey’s Lyell Centre in Edinburgh, said: “At some point in September, the agonic will meet zero longitude at Greenwich.
“This marks the first time since the observatory’s creation that the geographic and geomagnetic coordinate systems have coincided at this location.
“The agonic will continue to pass across the UK over the next 15 to 20 years. By 2040, all compasses will probably point eastwards of true north.
“It is, at present, impossible to predict how the magnetic field will change over decades to centuries, so the compass may well point east of true north for another 360 years in the UK.”
However, the experts have stressed that zero inclination will have no impact on daily life.
Dr Beggan added: “Compasses and GPS will work as usual – there’s no need for anyone to worry about any disturbance to daily life.”
The agonic line is crossing from east to west.
It arrived at East Anglia and Kent in 2017 and is now passing slowly across the British Isles.
Press Association
