eli5 How do we decide which one is North Pole and which is south pole? The space is almost infinite on all directions. So what we see on map might be wrong right? I mean it could also be upside down too.
In: Earth Science
The Earth spins on an axis. This naturally creates an objective (if invisible) “pole”. This has nothing to do with space and only with Earth and the fact that it spins on an axis.
Also, there is no being “right” or “wrong.” This is a decision we, as people, get to make. And we, as a group, have decided that one end of the pole is North and one is South. There have been groups of people throughout history that decided the opposite of the current convention (notably Ancient Egypt) but in the end the current convention won out and became the most popular.
Latest Answers