Sunday, May 17, 2020

Sorta' Earth Science: "Roving" Magnetic North Pole Edition, From European Space Agency -- Infused With Poetry...


Fascinating. . . indeed. There are some constants, in my life. . . known as. . . true north, to me. They are in part depicted at right, in these earth science graphics.

My True North

...I close my eyes and listen
To the soft sound of your voice as
You weave a new tale for me to hear
I see the pictures evolve before my eyes
As characters begin to appear

You take me by the heart
To places we dream to be
Painting our lives with your words

Endearing you more to me
Other men may have touched my skin
You... have touched my soul
Opening my mind again to believe
Life can once again be whole.

Dreams are made to live
Love is made to be shared
Tired of fighting against my grain
Searching for the one who cares

In the moment I ceased the fight
Heart and soul sprang forth...

You...my one true north.


-- Pamela Penta

Here, courtesy of the fine scientists at ESA.int is a story on how the magnetic pull of that fixed point. . . inexorably, over the last half century. . . has moved closer and closer. . . to true north:

. . . .Unlike our geographic north pole, which is in a fixed location, magnetic north wanders. This has been known since it was first measured in 1831, and subsequently mapped drifting slowly from the Canadian Arctic towards Siberia. However, since the 1990s, this drift has turned into more of a sprint -- going from its historic wandering of 0–15 km a year to its present speed of 50–60 km a year. Using satellite data, including from ESA's Swarm mission, have concluded that this is down to competition between two magnetic blobs on the edge of the Earth's outer core. Changes in the flow of molten material in the planet's interior have altered the strength of the above regions of negative magnetic flux.

The image shows how the strength of the magnetic patch over Canada has weakened and how the position of the north magnetic pole has changed between 1999 and 2019. . . .


Fascinating, indeed.

नमस्ते

No comments: