north

The title of this article is ambiguous. Further meanings are listed under North (disambiguation) .

Cardinal points

northwest	north	Northeast
west		east
southwest	south	Southeast

North or north is a main direction . North or the north direction is used for navigation and to specify coordinates .

Word origins and other names

The name comes from the Old High German north and is derived from the Indo-European root ner- for “left” or “below”, which may be due to “left of the rising sun”.

In Nordic mythology , the four dwarfs Norðri, Suðri, Austri and Vestri wear the skull of Ymir , from which the sir built the vault of heaven, Norðri is the dwarf of the north.

Other terms for "north" are or were:

• Midnight , according to the time the sun is in that direction.
• Latin Septentrio ('seven threshing oxen'), related to the seven stars of the Big Dipper, as the constellation of the Romans - even today, Italian means settentrionale 'north'
• Ancient Greek Ἄρκτος , árktos for '[Big] Bear', the constellation, of which Arctic 'Land in the North' and Antarctica ( Anti- Arctic 'Counterarctic', Antipodes of the Arctic, the legendary ' South Country ')
• Alt GR. βορέας Boréas , the 'north wind', borealis 'north' (today ' subarctic ' in terms such as boreal zone , boreal coniferous forest or boreal climate level , boreal shield ), also as Hyperborea ( hyper - 'beyond'), the Scythian north country of the Greeks , still preserved in Italian iperboreo 'north'
• In China , the earth's branch of the mouse or rat ( Chinese   子 , Pinyin zǐ ) and the trigram ☵ Water ( Chinese  坎 , Pinyin kăn ) symbolize the north.

Definitions

Colloquially and in navigation , north or north are used to describe different things:

North, north

Colloquially, a mostly rough indication of the direction in the northern area between northwest and northeast .

the north, in the north

Colloquial term for the northern half of an area, e.g. B. of a state, an island or the whole world. In Germany it is also used by the media as a synonym for Northern Germany , Schleswig-Holstein or the broadcasting area of ​​the Northern German Broadcasting Corporation .

"It's blowing a north"

Colloquial and nautical term for a wind from the north, i.e. (approximately) north wind or north current. Frequent wind direction in large parts of Western and Central Europe . North wind

True north (TN), true north (TN), true north

Direction along the meridians to the geographic North Pole. True north is the most important reference value in navigation . The term is derived from right, right.

Missweisend Nord (mwN), magnetic north (MN)

in the north direction of the field lines of the earth's magnetic field .

In Central Europe this deviation from true to magnetic north is so small that the magnetic north direction can still be used for orientation and navigation without any problems . The deviation between true and magnetic north is called the declination and is e.g. B. from isogon maps or the wind rose in sea ​​charts .

See also : Declination (geography)

Magnet Kompass Nord (MgN), Kompass Nord (KN), compass north (CN)

Direction in which a magnetic compass points, i.e. along the magnetic field lines in the immediate vicinity, which are made up of the earth's magnetic field (magnetic north) and local magnetic field disturbances from electric current and magnetically active materials (deviation).

See also : Deviation (navigation)

Grid north (GiN), grid north (GN)

Reference direction of the coordinate systems used in satellite navigation ( Gauß-Krüger , UTM , UPS ). Deviates from true north by a variable angle called meridian convergence.

TO card , from Isidor von Sevillas Etymologiae , first printing Günther Zainer , 1472 - above is still east, Septentrio on the left

Maps are created as frame maps and with the exception of maps of the polar regions in such a way that the north direction points to the upper edge of the sheet. If a map deviates from this convention, the north direction is usually indicated by a compass rose .

On the other planets of the solar system there is also the direction north, there too it points to the north pole, i.e. to the pole in the direction of the axis of rotation of the planet.

Determination of north direction

Determination of the north direction over the North Star with a plumb line

There are various methods to determine the north direction:

• True north can be determined with the help of a gyro compass , with the help of a magnetic compass taking declination and deviation into account, or by bearing with the help of a map or sea map.
• Magnetic compass north and magnetic north are most easily determined with a (bearing) magnetic compass. If it is read at a sufficient distance from parts carrying direct current and magnetic materials, the deviation at most points on earth is significantly smaller than the reading error and is therefore negligible.
• With the help of an analog clock and the position of the sun, the north direction can be determined with an accuracy of approx. 15 ° if you are north of the tropic. The bisector between the small hand, which is aligned with the sun, and the 12 o'clock mark points south. The prerequisite is that the sun reaches its highest daily position at 12 o'clock and that the clock has a 12-hour dial. During summer time , the clock must be set back one hour (at least in thought), and the time must also be adjusted to the geographical edges of a time zone if necessary. Depending on the time zone, this adjustment can be up to two hours long (e.g. Canada or Greenland).
• There are various signs in the area that allow a rough orientation . In Germany z. B. most of the satellite dishes are aligned with Astra satellites (19.2 ° to the east) and thus point approximately in the opposite direction to the north. The moss growth on trees or roofs can also provide a rough indication, as it is strongest in the main weather direction. The main direction of the weather in Central Europe is northwest.
• At night when the sky is clear, by bearing the North Star . To do this, a line must be drawn vertically downwards from the Pole Star to the horizon . North is where the line meets the horizon. This can be done e.g. B. with a plumb line , i.e. a thread with a weight at one end. The loose end of the plumb bob is held with the fingers on the outstretched arm and the thread is brought over the North Star. The weight now pulls the thread vertically downwards and where the thread appears to intersect the horizon is north. However, this method does not work in the vicinity of the North Pole, because here the Pole Star is almost vertically above the observer, who would therefore have to hold the plumb above his head. This would mean that it would no longer be possible to take a bearing over the thread. However, the closer you get to the equator, the shorter the distance between Pole Star and the horizon and the more precise the method becomes. In Germany, with an angle of around 50 ° between Pole Star and the horizon, it is already quite usable.

See also

• North
• Nordicity

Web links

Wiktionary: Norden  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Wikiquote: North  Quotes

Individual evidence

1. ↑ NORTH, m. septentrio, one of the four regions of the world . In: Jacob Grimm , Wilhelm Grimm : German Dictionary . Hirzel, Leipzig 1854–1961 ( woerterbuchnetz.de , University of Trier).
2. ↑ NORTH, m. . In: Grimm: German dictionary. Hirzel, Leipzig 1854–1961 ( woerterbuchnetz.de , University of Trier).
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