A common compass rose as is found on a nautical chart showing both true and magnetic north with magnetic declination

A compass rose is a figure displaying the orientation of the cardinal directions, north, south, east and west on a map or nautical chart. A nautical chart is a graphic representation of a maritime area and adjacent Coastal regions This is about the direction for other uses see North (disambiguation. The magnetic declination (also known as grid magnetic angle in military circles at any point on the Earth is the angle between the local magnetic field -- the direction A map is a visual representation of an area—a symbolic depiction highlighting relationships between elements of that space such as objects, Regions, and Themes A nautical chart is a graphic representation of a maritime area and adjacent Coastal regions It is also the term for the graduated markings found on the traditional magnetic compass. A compass, magnetic compass or mariner's compass is a navigational instrument for determining direction relative to the earth's Magnetic poles It consists Today the use and idea of a compass rose is found on or featured in almost all navigation systems, including nautical charts, NDB and VOR systems, some GPS sets and similar. A nautical chart is a graphic representation of a maritime area and adjacent Coastal regions A Non-directional beacon ( NDB) is a Radio transmitter at a known location used as an aviation or marine Navigational aid This article is about the radio navigation aid see VOR for other uses Basic concept of GPS operation A GPS receiver calculates its position by carefully timing the signals sent by the constellation of GPS Satellites high above the Earth

Although a compass rose may sometimes be called a wind rose, it should not be confused with the graphic tool used by meteorologists to depict wind frequencies from different directions at a location. A wind rose is a graphic tool used by Meteorologists to give a succinct view of how Wind speed and direction are typically distributed at a particular location

History

Replica of a 32-point compass rose from a chart by Jorge de Aguiar (1492), the oldest personally signed and dated Portuguese nautical chart

Naming all 32 points on the rose is called boxing the compass.

The "rose" term arises from the fairly ornate figures used with early compasses. A compass, magnetic compass or mariner's compass is a navigational instrument for determining direction relative to the earth's Magnetic poles It consists A fleur-de-lis figure, evolved from the initial T in the north wind's name Tramontane, is sometimes used to indicate the north direction. The fleur-de-lys (or fleur-de-lis, plural fleurs-de-lis ˌfləː(rdəˈliː (ˌfləː(rdəˈlɪs in Quebec) translated from French as "lily Tramontane ( Tramuntana, Tramontana) is a classical name for a northern wind Similarly, on old maps the east was marked with an L for Levante, or with a + indicating the direction of Jerusalem from the point of view of western Europe's countries. Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the

Early roses were depicted with 12 points at 30° each, as was favored by the Romans. In the Middle Ages map makers moved to the 16-point rose complaining that sailors did not have the education to understand the previous design. The 16-point rose has the uncomfortable number of 22 1/2° between points, but is easily found by halving divisions and may have been easier for those not using a 360° circle. Using gradians, the sixteen-point rose will have exactly twenty-five gradians per point in. The grad is a unit of plane Angle, equivalent to of a full Circle, dividing a Right angle in 100

A Rose of the Winds is an ancient version of a compass rose which personified compass directions as winds with individual names, such as the west wind Zephyrus and the east wind Eurus. In Greek Mythology, the Anemoi (in Greek, Άνεμοι &mdash " winds " were Wind gods who were each ascribed In Greek Mythology, the Anemoi (in Greek, Άνεμοι &mdash " winds " were Wind gods who were each ascribed A fountain in Taranto, Italy was inspired by and named after the Rose of the Winds. Not to be confused with Toronto. Taranto ( Ancient Greek: Tarās; Modern Greek: Tarantas) is a coastal city in Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest

The earliest 32-point compass rose was developed by Arab navigators during the Middle Ages. ^[1]

Modern depictions

A 16-point compass rose

The contemporary compass rose appears as two rings, one smaller and set inside the other. The outside ring denotes true cardinal directions while the smaller inside ring denotes magnetic cardinal directions. True north refers to the geographical location of the north pole while magnetic north refers to the direction towards which the north pole of a magnetic object (as found in a compass) will point. noted by the Chinese Polymath Shen Kuo in the 11th century and possibly the egyptians over 6 millenia ago The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is subject to the caveats explained below defined as the point in the northern The magnetic declination (also known as grid magnetic angle in military circles at any point on the Earth is the angle between the local magnetic field -- the direction A compass, magnetic compass or mariner's compass is a navigational instrument for determining direction relative to the earth's Magnetic poles It consists The angular difference between true and magnetic north is called variation, which varies depending on location. The magnetic declination (also known as grid magnetic angle in military circles at any point on the Earth is the angle between the local magnetic field -- the direction The angular difference between magnetic heading and compass heading is called deviation which varies by vessel and its heading. Magnetic deviation is the error induced in a Compass by local Magnetic fields which must be allowed for along with Magnetic declination, if

Pedro Reinel was the first person to draw a standard compass rose. Pedro Reinel (? - c 1542) was a Portuguese cartographer of the 16th century author of the oldest signed Portuguese Nautical chart (c

In popular media

HMS Compass Rose is the name of a fictional Royal Navy corvette in the novel The Cruel Sea. The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore known as the Senior Service) A corvette is a small maneuverable lightly armed Warship, originally smaller than a Frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft, although many The Cruel Sea ( 1951, ISBN 978-0141007328 is a novel by Nicholas Monsarrat.

In the interactive fiction game, Beyond Zork, a compass rose is a flower that can control the direction of the wind. Beyond Zork (full title Beyond Zork The Coconut of Quendor) was an Interactive fiction Computer game written by Brian Moriarty and

The Compass Rose is the name of a significant tavern in Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar fantasy novels. Mercedes Lackey (born June 24, 1950) New York New York (also known as Misty Lackey) is a prolific American author of fantasy novels Velgarth is a fictional continent set on an as-yet-unnamed planet created by author Mercedes Lackey, and is the setting for all novels thus far published in the Valdemar Saga

An 8-point compass rose is a prominent feature in the logo of the Seattle Mariners Major League Baseball club. The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington, United States.

Gallery

Wind rose of an old nautical chart, by Portuguese cartographer Pedro Reinel (1504) - file is in SVG format	An historic compass rose - jpeg	An 8-point compass rose - svg	16-point compass rose with north highlighted at top - png
A 32-point compass rose - png	The world's largest compass rose, drawn on the desert floor at Edwards Air Force Base in the US - jpeg	16-point compass rose - svg	European Satellite Navigation commemorative coin featuring a compass rose - jpeg

References

• Martín Gil F. J. , Martín Ramos P. , Martín-Gil J. "A cryptogram in the compass roses of the Majorcan portolan charts from the Messina-Naples mapmakers school". Almogaren, Nº. 36, 2005, pags. 285-296

External links

• Actual Floor Compass Roses
• Origins of the Compass Rose
• The Rose of the Winds - An example of a rose with 26 directions.
• Wind rose
• Compass Rose of Piedro Reinel, 1504 - an example of a 32-point rose with cross for east (the Christian Holy Land) and fleur-di-lis for north.
• The Compass Rose in St. Peter's Square
• Brief compass rose history info