# Do Latitude and longitudinal lines change with the earths wobble? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 14, 2008, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-latitude-and-longitudinal-lines-change-with-the-earths-wobble/456385 "2008-07-14T01:57:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-latitude-and-longitudinal-lines-change-with-the-earths-wobble/456385/1 "2008-07-14T01:57:33Z")
We already know the earth [wobbles](http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/05/040520065656.htm). But do we know if latitudinal and/or longitudinal lines change with the wobble? ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-latitude-and-longitudinal-lines-change-with-the-earths-wobble/456385/2 "2008-07-14T02:15:46Z")
No. Zero degrees goes through the “Center of the instrument at Greenwich.” As long as that stays in one place so do the lines. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-latitude-and-longitudinal-lines-change-with-the-earths-wobble/456385/3 "2008-07-14T05:29:34Z")
[QUOTE=Phlosphr] We already know the earth [wobbles](http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/05/040520065656.htm). But do we know if latitudinal and/or longitudinal lines change with the wobble? [/QUOTE] It would be huge problem for GPS systems, if they did. Ed ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-latitude-and-longitudinal-lines-change-with-the-earths-wobble/456385/4 "2008-07-14T10:04:57Z")
[QUOTE=Paul in Saudi] No. Zero degrees goes through the “Center of the instrument at Greenwich.” As long as that stays in one place so do the lines. [/QUOTE] Not quite. The north pole also needs to be fixed to one specific point on the Earth’s surface, or else the Greenwich meridian would start in a different spot. Thus, to compensate for the Chandler Wobble, apparently a specific North Pole has been defined in order to keep everything from shifting by a few meters over the course of months - the geographic north pole isn’t reliable enough. 🙂 > **[North Pole | Precise definition](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_pole#Precise_definition)** > > The Earth's axis of rotation – and hence the position of the North Pole – was commonly believed to be fixed (relative to the surface of the Earth) until, in the 18th century, the mathematician Leonhard Euler predicted that the axis might "wobble" slightly. Around the beginning of the 20th century astronomers noticed a small apparent "variation of latitude", as determined for a fixed point on Earth from the observation of stars. Part of this variation could be attributed to a wandering of the Pole... ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-latitude-and-longitudinal-lines-change-with-the-earths-wobble/456385/5 "2008-07-14T11:49:46Z")
Ok so we compensate for the wobble by fixing a geographic north pole that does shift…on occasion. I wasn’t really talking about the long/lat lines shifting by miles, to really effect GPS systems…but they do shift by meters here and there no?