The good news is that any disappearance of the dipole will be temporary, the halfway point along a southward swing that would leave compass needles pointing toward Antarctica rather than the frozen North.

• 值得庆幸的是，磁偶极场的消失是暂时性的，只是一种磁偶极场在做南北方向对调时，在过程中间所发生的现象。