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

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

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.

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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 Laboratory's (JPL) Spitzer Space Telescope. After a hugely successful mission, she moved on to NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), in the Washington D.C. area. In her off-hours often puts on about 30lbs of Elizabethan garb and performs intricate Renaissance dances.

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Read more of our stories on space navigation and travel:

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[onomeatumah]

Hello mam, we ve really missed your videos. Especially me . I want to introduce my 6yrs old son to you. He loves you too much and he loves space videos.
He told me he wants to be a scientist.

[robinhannon]

I love Michelle. It's nice to see her on these videos again :)

[Bcklm]

I thought she would go into more about how you WOULD find your direction in space.

[carolynlarke]

This is why we use gyro compasses I think. Also is the fact that all a compass does it tell you heading direction, not position. Gyros were invented because the modern, metal ships interfered with the magnetic field giving false directions. All modern ships and planes use gyrocompasses as their primary heading finders. A gyro compass uses gravity and a measurable mass or predictable beam of light travelling around a known path and a principle in physics called "precession". The physics are too much for me but I'm sure there's a source for information.

[Skankhunt.]

How does a gas planet like Jupiter have a magnetic field when theres no molten metal core?

[Jmmondeau]

When you travel fast enough threw warped space (cause you can’t go faster than light) you in essence change the locations of things ( like folding paper) so you have to use (for lack of an easyer explanation) dead reckoning based on time and speed and relativity (relativity adjusting for time, like currents on the ocean for boats). We ain’t there yet but others are. Safe travels.

[JosiahSchmidt]

This kind of video always reminds me of “picture a hot dog bun and throw all the stars, the hundreds of stars that there are in the universe, into a bag, and put the universe into a bag, and all of a sudden they become………”

[franklinsteve]

*The reality of the rich and the poor is this: The rich Invest their money and spend what is left. The poor spend their money and invest what is left"*

[ScubaDracula]

How can the vacuum of space exist next to Earth's atmosphere without a solid barrier (High pressure system next to a low pressure system) ??? I'm pretty sure this violates the second law of thermodynamics...

[kennethhicks]

EM field lines should be everywhere and thus interacting. Consider the macro crystal-like formation/growth (alignments ongoing) inside them (i.e. mass clumps, planets, stars, galaxies, etc.)

[Kuya_Yan_]

Wait if the universe is expanding what direction is it moving? Relative to the centre of the universe or our solar system?

[captainandthelady]

Time moves slower as we move faster. What would happen if we came to a full and complete stop in relation to the universe?

[sarthakpandey]

Gravitational force is the key for navigation in space through warmholes and any other situations in space travel.

[AuntyProton]

I would think you could use pulsars as a means to do a GPS type device for navigation within a galaxy. They send out distinctive pulses so they can be known points moving on known paths so could be used for triangulation.

[amirsaeed]

Make video on future of agriculture and food

[AnonymousBosch]

I've missed michelle, it's been sometime that we don't see her. She is such an inspirational person.

Can you bring her to talk about the James Webb telescope and what the astronomers are expecting to find with it?

[ollllj]

The Apollo missions already used multiple reference points and transitioned between them.
If you are silly enough to only use 1 reference point for even 1 light-second of distance, you lose a LOT of precision or waste a lot of memory and performance.

[En_theo]

Could not we use Quasars as points of reference since they generate regular signals ?

[drexzydan]

Oh yeah... I've never thought about this. 👌🏾

[backpacker]

So at the end of the day, if you have enough information to know what the compass is telling you, it's probably not telling you anything you don't already know.