The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1922-06-30
lis NORTH POLE
HEADED SOUTH?
Astronomer Asserts Greenwich
Is Moving Toward Tropics,
WABBL|NG EARTH is BLAMED
Distance Between Naples, Italy, and
the Equator Said to Have Been
Shortened by Mile and Half in Past
81 Years-United States Coast ana
Geodetic Survey Makes Careful
Analysis of Changes in Latitude
Little Change in Million Years.


Little Change in Million Years.
Is the latitude of this place chang
ing?
Is your home closer TO the equato
or the pole than it once was?
These may appear to be foollsl
questions to the average man. He has
| no doubt grown TO look upon th'
earth's belt and its axis as immov
able lines, even though they are i'm
aginary. But an astronomer in Lon
don was quoted the other day as as
sorting that the distance between Ma.
| pies, Italy, and the equator has been
| shortened by mile and half during
| the past 81 years. and that Greenwich
| has apparently moved half mile to-
ward the tropics in less than two dec
AIDES. The possibility of such
changes in latitude is discussed in the
following bulletin from the Washing
ton headquarters Of the National Geo
graphic society:
''There is no question that ATTITUDES
change. but there is very large ques-
tion whether the changes are of any
considerable magnitude and whether
they continue for any great length of
time in the same direction The varia-
tons that have been established are
due to a slight wabbling of the earth,
like that of top which is not spinning
evenly around its axis. This irregular
ity does not change the direction of the
axis itself, but does change the point
on the earth's surface (the pole-point)
from which the axis energies. BY such
changes most points on the earth
would have their positions altered with
reference to the poles and to the. equa-
tor, which is always 80 degrees from
the pole-point and therefore follows it
in any movement which it makes.
What the WabbIes Do.
If the earth's simplest possible ro-
tation had had single wabble added
to it, the pole-pOint would trace a
closed path; that is, 1t would return
to the same position again and again
after the completion of definite. equal
periods. But there are at least two |
distinct and unequal wabbles known: |
one completed in year. and one in |
about fourteen months. Their combi- /
nation causes the pole-point to wander
IN rather uneven way, tracing lines
hat are very roughly eliptical and
which cross and recrOSS each other
But these two known wabbles cause
)ny very slight variation from a
'teady rotation the 'wanderings' Of
he pole-pOint because of them are be-
ieved to be always within a circle 60
eet across The latitude of any city
would be changed, therefore, because
f these two recognized wabbleS of the
arth, at most only 80 feet north or
outh of its mean position
There are other possibilities, how
yer, in regard to change of latitude.
me is that there are other as yet I'M
ecognized wabbles extending over
niger periods which cause the pole
ONT to wander in circles or elipses
nat may be larger than the 6O-foot cir
e.
whether there is progressive
mango of ATTITUDES has long interest
l astronomers. In 1900 the Interna-
onal Latitude Service was formed
I'd "a string Of six stations was es-
forming a band around the
orld, all within a few feet of the par
lei of north latitude, 80 degrees 8
inutes These stations were stuat- !,
in Japan, Russian Turkestan, Sar- !
MIA, Gaithersburg, Nd, Cincinnati,
(, and Ukiah, Cal. Observations were :,
lde at all the stations for IA years.
le stations in Turkestan and at
were closed at the end
1914, and the international latitude b
,rk was discontinued at the Cincin- L
ii station at the end of 1915. The G
three stations are continu- u
! the observations. a
Little Change in Million Years
The information assembled by the =
Latitude Service has s
IN interpreted in various ways. The :,
lnges in ATTITUDES observed were ~
" small and it is recognized that :,
possibilities of error due to i'm !,
feet instruments. inaccuracies in !,
r destinations, and the human euua. i,
!, were many. One careful analysis III
the United States coast and geo FL
lc survey, however. seems to indi- IT,
2 that the pole-point is shifting 10
gressively southwark toward the 4,
tinent of North America. This le,
lid mean that, in effect, the cities 40
he United States are moving slow 90
0 the north. Fl,
You need haye little worry. though, dix
the likelihood that the North Pole
turn up some day in your back 70,
!. Even though one becomes gem III.
IS With assumptions and assumes cr,
there is a soutllward movement ve,
ne pole-point and that it will con- sue
steadily, its sloWness makes the mn
med shift almost negligible. The vo
ysis referred to seems to Indicate des
uthWard drift of the pole amount All
to a trifle over six inches a yenr. the
would amount to less than one paf
in 10000 years. Iii 1OO0.OOO yeurs I'd
'hange would equal only 05 n:ilea gre