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It is designated α Ursae Minoris (Latinized to Alpha Ursae Minoris) and is commonly called the North Star or Pole Star. With an apparent magnitude that fluctuates around 1.98, it is the brightest star in the constellation and is readily visible to the naked eye at night.
- 0.60
- 5.4M☉
A pole star is a visible star that is approximately aligned with the axis of rotation of an astronomical body; that is, a star whose apparent position is close to one of the celestial poles. On Earth, a pole star would lie directly overhead when viewed from the North or the South Pole.
Also called (Northern Hemisphere): North Star. Related Topics: star. polestar, the brightest star that appears nearest to either celestial pole at any particular time. Owing to the precession of the equinoxes, the position of each pole describes a small circle in the sky over a period of 25,772 years.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Polaris, Earth’s present northern polestar, or North Star, at the end of the ‘handle’ of the so-called Little Dipper in the constellation Ursa Minor. Polaris is actually a triple star. It is located about 447.6 light-years from Earth and is the closest Cepheid variable.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Jul 28, 2021 · Polaris, known as the North Star, sits more or less directly above Earth's north pole along our planet's rotational axis. This is the imaginary line that extends through the planet and out of the north and south poles. Earth rotates around this line, like a spinning top.
Sep 9, 2019 · Polaris, Alpha Ursae Minoris (α UMi), commonly known as the North Star, is the closest relatively bright star to the north celestial pole. It lies at an estimated distance between 323 and 433 light years (99 to 133 parsecs) from Earth and has an apparent magnitude that varies between 1.86 and 2.13.
May 9, 2024 · The North Star or Pole Star – aka Polaris – is famous for holding nearly still in our sky while the entire northern sky moves around it. That’s because it’s located very close to the north...
