Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1922-06-01
|RyH POLE SOUTH BoUNDq
(sculstion Caused by Observa.
|tiou OF London Astronomer.

is the latitude of Fort Mill
Iangingi Is your home closer
the Equator or to the pole than
once wasY
These may appear to be fool
bh questions to the average man.
He has no dougbt grown to look
hp0n..the earth's belt" and it's
axis as immovable lines even
Though they are imaginary. But
IAN astronomer in London was
quoted sthe other day as asserting
that the distance between Naples,
Italy, and the equator has been
shortened by mile and half
during the past 81 years, and
that Greenwich has apparently
moved half mile toward the
tropics in less than two decades.
The possibility of such changes
in latitude is discussed in the fol-
lowing bulletin from the National
Geographic society:
There is no question that lat
itudes change, but there is very
large question whether the chan
ges are of any considerable mag
nitude and whether they contin-
ue for any great length of time
III the same direction. The varia-
tions~ that have been established
are due to slight wabbling Of
/ the earth like that of top which
is not spinning evenly around it's
axis. This irregularity does not
change the direction of the axis
itself but does change the point
of the earth s surface (the pole
point) from which the axis emer-
ges. BY such changes most points
on. the earth would have their
positions altered with reference
to the poles and to the equator,
which is always 80 degrees from
the pole point and therefore fol-
lows it in any movement which
it makes. s,s,5.,-s .......
If the earth's simplest possible
fStsfiUn mad had a aingfg wabbfe-
added to it. the pole point would
trace q clouded path-that is, it
would return to the same posi-.
tion again and again after the
completion of definite, equal pc
riods. But there are at least two
distinct and unequal wabbles
known: one completed in year
and one in about Ia months. Their
combination causes the pole point
to wander IN a rather uneven
way, tracing lines that are very
roughly eliptical and which cross
and recross each other. But these
wabbles cause only a very slight
variation from a steady rotation.
4 Whether there is a progress
siye change of latitude has long
Interested astronomers. In 1900
the International Latitude Serv-
ice was formed and string Of
1C stations was established form
ing a band around the world.
Observations were made at all
s the stations for Id years and the
Information assembled by the
service has been interpreted in
various ways. The changes OBJ
served in latitude were very
small and it is recognized that
..hsee The possibilities of error due to
imperfect instruments, inacura.
cies In star destinations and the
human equation were many. One
careful analysis by the United
States Coast and Geodetic Sur
vey, however, seems to indicate
that the pole point is shifting pro-
gressively southward toward the
continent of North America. This
would mean in effect that the
cities OF the United States are
moving slowly to the north.
One need have little worry,
though, for the likelihood that
the North Pole will turn up some
day in your back yard. Even
though one becomes generous
With assumptions and assumes
sihRt there 81 is a decided sonthward
thoyements of the pole point and
that It will continue steadily, its
eiOwness makes the assumed shift
Aln1het negligible. The analysis
Se&6sred to seems to indicate
eclsfsward drift of the pole
axa6nntine to a trine over six
inchsa s year. This would amount
10 leas than one mile In 10000