When the compass suddenly points south ( Magnetic Pole Flip, latest SHOCKING news)

German state television ^ | January 5

[auggy]

"Magnetic Pole Flip, latest news: among the facts that are now revealed to the public: the magnetic field over the South Atlantic Ocean is now so weak that compasses now point to Michael Moore.".

LoL, That's good, very good.

[blackdog]

The magnetic usefulness is near nil around the poles. Beginning a few hundred miles from the poles, magnetic readings are useless for aircraft and always have been. The last time a compass was used in the air to navigate a commercial airplane was around 50 years ago. It's why we have a directional gyro and VOR's.

File this one under "We're all gonna die" authored by people who write of what they know nothing of.

[b4its2late]

It's Bush's fault.

[lucysmom]

The magnetic poles switching from north to south or vice versa is nothing new.

I remember that from geology class 30 years ago.

[LibSnubber]

"the magnetic field over the South Atlantic Ocean is now so weak that planes and satelites have now been forced to change their routes..."

I hate it when that happens!

[LibSnubber]

"Is my SUV causing this?"

YES! But not as much as God, Bush, Rove, and Halliburton.

[DannyTN]

"So when do the greenpissers start protesting and demanding congressional hearings?"

When the swelling in their jaws go down from their attempted disruption of the London oil exchange.

[Truth666]

Thanks for posting this; interesting article. Just finished reading the German original. I didn't see what you mention about the beryllium analysis implications (which may be because my German is rusty)--is there another related article you're getting that from? Would be interested in a source for more information if there's one available.
It's in the article in the form of 1+1. I just computed the sum.

[Fedora]

Thanks!

[RightWhale]

The North Pole won't actually point toward the south but kind of meander around east and west for a while. The aurora will be far less spectacular without the strong focus we have now, but solar particles will still be blocked by the atmosphere. Most people won't notice the change.

[SunkenCiv]

Anomalies hint at magnetic pole flip
by Nicola Jones
New Scientist
10 April 02

...the way minerals are aligned in ancient rock shows that the planet's magnetic dipole occasionally disappears altogether, leaving a much more complicated field with many poles all over the planet. When the dipole comes back into force, the north and south poles can swap places... Journal reference: Nature (vol 416, p 620)

for those interested in Earth's magnetic field, the current (rimshot!) issue of Scientific American has a cover story. By an odd coincidence, I saw that at the store on the way home and picked it up; then I saw this laugh-fest.

[SunkenCiv]

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[MEG33]

What are the new announcements?..It's spring!