***Definition*** :: The angle between True North and Magnetic North. It is expressed as east variation or west variation. Pilots planning navigation by compass must adjust headings to account for Magnetic Variation.
> [!summary] From [[PHAK Ch8]]
> The magnetic North Pole to which the magnetic compass points is not collocated with the geographic North Pole, but is some 1,300 miles away....
>
> In aerial navigation, the difference between true and magnetic directions is called variation.
![[Compass Variation Across US.jpeg]]
See Also [[Compass Errors]]
***Source*** :: [[PHAK Ch8]]
#glossary