Then, find the sun in the sky. With your watch parallel ... of direction and can't orient you with 100% accuracy the way a ...

But within our solar system, one magnetosphere dwarfs all others: that of the sun. "If you're in this stereotypical deep space vacuum in between the planets, [a compass] is mostly going to measure ...

That means a compass still works in orbit, aligning itself with Earth's magnetic north. (That is, provided there are no other strong magnets nearby.) However, coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and more ...

You can use a compass to check which direction each end is facing. The Sun is in the South at about midday, so you can also check your compass is working if one end points in that direction.