Final answer:
The compass needle points toward the north-south direction, with the north pole of the needle pointing towards Earth's magnetic south pole, near the geographic North Pole. The Earth can be thought of as a giant bar magnet with magnetic field lines pointing from north to south. Compass bearings can also use angles to indicate directions not aligned with principal compass points.
Step-by-step explanation:
The compass needle always points in the north-south direction. Specifically, the north pole of a compass needle is attracted to the Earth's south magnetic pole, which is geographically situated near the Earth's North Pole. This might seem counterintuitive, but in the realm of magnetism, opposite poles attract each other. Therefore, what we commonly refer to as the Earth's magnetic north pole is actually the magnetically southern end of Earth's 'bar magnet'.
When using a compass, if a vector does not point exactly in one of the principal compass directions (North, South, East, West), angles are used to specify direction—for example, North 50° West. Back in 1819, Hans Oersted discovered the relationship between electricity and magnetism, laying the groundwork for our understanding of the Earth's magnetic field and how a compass functions. The discovery implied that the needle of a compass could be influenced by electric currents due to the magnetic force they exert.
Even while navigating in an airplane across the equator, the compass needle would continue to point towards the Earth's magnetic south pole (geographically north), though its exact orientation would shift slightly depending on your global position relative to the Earth's magnetic field.