A DORSET village is at the centre of history with calculations finding it will become the first place where the three ‘norths’ have met at a single point.
According to calculations made by mapping service Ordnance Survey (OS), true north, magnetic north and grid north will combine at Langton Matravers this month in a first for Britain.
The historic triple alignment will make landfall at the small village near Swanage in early November and will stay converged for three and a half years as it slowly travels up the country.
Grid north is the blue line on an OS map that either points directly to, or near to the North Pole.
True north is the direction of the lines of longitude that all converge at the North Pole, but varies from grid north since it reflects the curve of the earth.
Magnetic north marks the northward line to the magnetic North Pole.
After always being to the west of grid north in Britain, recent years have seen magnetic north move to the other side of grid north. It is now reaching the ‘special line’ and will converge with the other two ‘norths’ for the first time in history.
After making landfall at Langton Matravers, the triple alignment will pass northwards through Poole by Christmas. It will eventually reach Yorkshire in August 2024 before making its last stop in Fraserburgh, Scotland, in around July 2026.
Mark Greaves, earth measurement expert at Ordnance Survey, said: “It is no exaggeration to say that this is a one-off event that has never happened before.
“Magnetic north moves slowly so it is likely going to be several hundred years before this alignment comes around again.
“This triple alignment is an interesting quirk of our national mapping and the natural geophysical processes that drive the changing magnetic field.”
Dr Susan Macmillan, of the British Geological Survey, added: “This is a once in a lifetime occurrence. Due to the unpredictability of the magnetic field on long timescales it’s not possible to say when the alignment of the three norths will happen again.”
Visit ordnancesurvey.co.uk online for more information.
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