True north

True north is the direction that points toward the Earth's North Pole. This is where the planet's imaginary axis meets the surface. It is different from magnetic north, where a compass points. Magnetic north changes over time because of the Earth's magnetic field.

Because of how maps are made, true north can look different from grid north, the direction the map lines go. But on a globe, lines of longitude always point to the true poles.

We can often find true north by looking at the star Polaris, also called the North Star. It stays close to the sky's north point. In the past, other stars like Thuban helped people find their way.