Ross was born in 1800 and joined the Royal Navy at the age of 11. Much of his earlier years at sea were spent in the Arctic. Between 1818 and 1836, he spent eight winters and 15 summers in the Arctic. The Earth spins around the geographic poles, which are found at 90 degrees North and South latitude. The Earth's magnetic poles, however, are not found exactly at that location.
Compasses point to the North Magnetic Pole.
He spent the autumn in Hobart, Tasmania, and continued his trip south in November of 1840. The advance came to a halt when Ross found a bay which he named McMurdo Sound after the first lieutenant on his ship, Archibald McMurdo. Ross continued trying to reach the South Magnetic Pole, but he was eventually forced home in 1843 after nearly four and a half years away. Ross married later that year, but only after he signed an agreement with his bride's father that his days of polar exploration would end. The South Magnetic Pole was first reached by Douglas Mawson, Edgeworth David, and Alistair Mackay in 1909.