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Nature & Science News

UK climate unit's e-mails hacked - The e-mail system of one of the world's leading climate research units has been breached by hackers.

Mammoth dung clue to extinction - A study of mammoth dung is helping unravel the mystery of what caused the great mammals to die out.

New skin 'may help burns victims' - French researchers say they have found a way of using human embryonic stem cells to create new skin which could help serious burns victims.

First test for record solar plane - The prototype of a solar-powered plane destined for a record round-the-world journey makes its first trip across a runway.

Spacewalk for shuttle astronauts - Two astronauts from the space shuttle Atlantis have embarked on the first spacewalk of their mission.

Skate may be fished to extinction - A species of skate could become the first marine fish driven to extinction by commercial fishing, say scientists.

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North & Declination

Grid North - The direction of a grid line which is parallel to the central meridian on a map. Note: Grid North does not match true north because a map is a flat representation of a curved surface.

True North - The direction of a meridian of longitude that converges on the North Pole. Note: This is just a technical method of saying that True North describes a direct line to the North Pole and the Earth's spin axis.

Magnetic North - The direction indicated by a magnetic compass. Note: Magnetic North moves very slowly with a variable rate.

Declination - The vertical angle difference between True North and this year's Magnetic North. The current year's declination is oftentimes marked in degrees on your map. That's one reason why you might need a current map. For many purposes declination can be ignored, especially for leisure purposes.

Index:
Placenames Around the World / U.S.A. / Britain