Do compasses work in space? | Michelle Thaller | Big Think

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Do compasses work in space? | Michelle Thaller | Big Think Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ►► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg Up next ►► Michio Kaku forecasts the future of space https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oT8JM7o4WtM If you’re out in space, you would be able to navigate the galaxy with one simple navigational tool we’ve been using for centuries - a compass. By definition, a compass is a device that responds to magnetic fields providing cardinal directions used for geographic orientation . Since the core of the earth is made of molten, and compasses are made of metal, we’re easily able to identify north, south, east, and west because of Earth’s natural magnetic field. But did you know Saturn, Jupiter, stars, and even our galaxy have their own magnetic fields? If you are traveling through space, a simple compass can point you to the closest magnetic field, helping a space traveler navigate the galaxy. Read the video transcript: https://bigthink.com/videos/space-navigation/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Michelle Thaller: Dr. Michelle Thaller is an astronomer who studies binary stars and the life cycles of stars. She is Assistant Director of Science Communication at NASA. She went to college at Harvard University, completed a post-doctoral research fellowship at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena, Calif. then started working for the Jet Propulsion Lab

Published 2021-09-24 · Watch on YouTube ↗
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