🔍 Key Concepts

• Compass rose layout on a paper chart (inner vs. outer circles) • Difference between true and magnetic directions • Where variation and annual change are written on the compass rose

💭 Think About

• On a typical NOAA/Admiralty chart, what do you use to lay off true courses versus magnetic courses? Which ring do you physically put your plotter on for each? • Where on the compass rose do you actually see the numbers for variation and annual rate of change—are they part of the ring scale, or are they written as a small note nearby? • If you covered up the inner ring of the compass rose and only looked at the outer ring, what kind of north reference would those degree markings be based on?

✅ Before You Answer

• Identify which ring (inner or outer) is labeled relative to True North (often marked with a star or ‘T’). • Identify which ring is labeled relative to Magnetic North (often marked with ‘M’). • Confirm whether variation and its annual rate of change are shown as text information rather than as the numbered scale around the ring.