How does a magnetic compass work? Well, it’s all down to basic physics and human ingenuity. The key component of a standard baseplate compass is its magnetized needle, which is allowed to spin freely ...

Explorers have long trusted compasses to navigate Earth's land and oceans, using our planet's global magnetic field as their guide. But what happens when you take a compass beyond Earth - into orbit, ...

On Earth, the magnetic field of our planet points a compass north, but in space, things are a bit more complicated. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.