THE MAGNETIE POLE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 453, 1 April 1909, Page 3

THE MAGNETIE POLE.

IMPORTANCE OF THF DISCOVERY. In reply to a question put to him regarding the magnetic poles, Professor Brown explained that the earth behaves as a kind of magnet. The north pole of such magnet is situated in Northern Canada, latitude yodeg. north, and longitude about roodeg. west, and the south pole had not hitherto been discovered. The direction of the magnetic needle in the southern ocean, however, seemed to indicate that there were two south poles. Lieutenant Shackleton’s party’s discovery had located the south magnetic pole, and would seem to show that there was only one, as in the case of the north pole., “At the magnetic poles” said Professor Brown, “ the needle drops godeg., and points vertically downwards, and has no particular horizontal direction. At all other points the dip of the needle is less than godeg. The actual magnetic pole is supposed to be inside the earth, so that as you get the needle nearer to it the dip becomes greater, till immediately over the pole it would point straight downwards.” The Professor said he looked upon the recent discovery of the magnetic south pole as of importance to navigators in the southern seas.