Definition
True north is the direction along the Earth's surface toward the geographic North Pole — the fixed point where the Earth's axis of rotation meets the surface in the northern hemisphere. It is the reference direction used on aeronautical charts for lines of longitude and for true course and true heading values.
Plain English
True north points to the top of the Earth — the actual North Pole that the planet spins around. It is a fixed geographic point and does not move.
Context Anchor
Seen in navigation, chart reading, and flight planning when directions are measured from the geographic North Pole.
Derivation
‘True’ here means ‘actual’ or ‘real,’ as opposed to magnetic north, which is the direction a compass points. The word distinguishes the geographic pole (a fixed location) from the magnetic pole (which drifts over time).
Why Pilots Care
Charts are drawn to true north, so pilots must apply variation to convert true headings to the magnetic headings their compass actually shows.
Intuition Check
True does not mean “better” or “more correct” than every other north. Here, true means measured from the fixed geographic North Pole rather than from a magnetic compass.
Example Sentence 1
The pilot measured the course on the chart relative to true north, then applied magnetic variation to get a magnetic heading for the compass.
Example Sentence 2
When the wind correction angle is added to the true heading, the result is still referenced to true north.