If you are interested in astronomy and stargazing, then you probably know about the Polaris. If you live in the northern hemisphere then this is the star you use, to set up your equatorial mount. Polaris is a The North Star. This star is not specifically really big or small, hot or cool, but it has a lot of importance, only because of its location. It does not sit directly on the Earth’s north celestial pole, but it is very close. Polaris is in the Ursa Minor constellation and situated in the cluster of stars known as Little Dipper.
How far is the Polaris star from earth?
Initially, it was thought that Polaris is located 433 light-years away from earth. But a recent study revealed that it is much closer at 323 light-years away. Polaris is not the brightest or most spectacular looking star in the night sky. Even though Polaris appears as a single star to the naked eye, it is a triple star system. The Polaris star system formed around 70 million years ago from an interstellar medium of gas and dust.
Why Polaris does not move?
If you look at Polaris it appears that it doesn’t move at all. But in reality, it does move very slightly in relation to the earth. The reason we do not see Polaris star moving is because of its location. It is located exactly above where the earth’s axis points out. When the earth rotates, every single star seems to spin around the axis. You can see that in the time-lapse videos or photos of the night sky. In this time-lapse image, you can see stars appearing and whirling around the center point. That center point star is Polaris, it remains in the center even if the earth rotates.
So Polaris always stays in roughly the same place in the sky, and therefore it’s a reliable way to find the direction north. This is the reason your equatorial mounts use the Polaris as a reference to set up the mount. Once you’re facing toward Polaris, you know you’re facing north, which can help you orient yourself any evening you’re out stargazing.
Why is Polaris important?
Polaris is much more constant than a compass. There is one 0.7-degree separation of Polaris from the Celestial north pole. The North Pole star is very important since it can be used for navigation indicating the true north. Polaris marks the true north, and it will do so for many years to come. It will be our north star for around 13,000 years. The North Star title passes to different stars over time. Earth’s axis of rotation wobbles over about 26,000 years. That’s why after 13,000 years star Vega will be our North Star instead of Polaris.
What makes Polaris important to sailors?
Polaris is directly above the earth’s axis and in the northern hemisphere, it can be easily spotted. When you are at the equator you can notice that the Polaris is on the horizon.
When you are in between the equator and the north pole. Polaris will be somewhere between the equator and the North pole sky. If you know your latitude then in the north direction from your latitude you will find Polaris. This way you can figure out where exactly you are on the earth. This aspect is beneficial for sailors who are in the middle of the sea and want to find their location. Polaris has been guiding sailors for a long time and it will do so in the future as well.
Let’s do this with an example. Suppose you are in the middle of the sea in a boat and you have no compass. You want to go in the northeast direction. How will you find it? All you have to do is locate Polaris and face it. On your left is the east and on your right is the west. Now you know the directions, you can easily proceed in the northeast.
How to find Polaris?
You need to scan the sky and locate the Ursa Major constellation or you can use any of the apps mentioned in this video to locate it. Once you locate Ursa Major or the Big Dipper then join the two stars on the end of the dipper with an imaginary line. This line will always point you towards Polaris. If you are located in Northern Hemisphere then this is the way you find Polaris. If you live in the Southern Hemisphere then Polaris won’t be visible to you.
You can also find out your latitude by using Polaris. All you need to find the angle at which the Polaris is from the horizon and that angle will give you your latitude. So Polaris is a very important star because of where it is located.
Where is The North Star right now?
If you are wondering where is The North Star right now. You can see the live location of Polaris by clicking the following picture. This live location is tracked by the web version of The Stellarium astronomy app.
We hope you learned everything about “Polaris, The North Star”. If you want to know more about stargazing and astronomy then check out other articles on our site & also check out our YouTube channel.
