Visible star that is nearly aligned with Earth's axis of rotation
"South Star" redirects here. For the American rapper, see Southstar.For other uses, see Pole star (disambiguation).
Northern Hemisphere circumpolar stars around Polaris, with a long-exposure producing a star trail photo
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.
Currently, Earth's pole stars are Polaris (Alpha Ursae Minoris), a bright magnitude 2 star aligned approximately with its northern axis that serves as a pre-eminent star in celestial navigation, and a much dimmer magnitude 5.5 star on its southern axis, Polaris Australis (Sigma Octantis).
From around 1700 BC until just after 300 AD, Kochab (Beta Ursae Minoris) and Pherkad (Gamma Ursae Minoris) were twin northern pole stars, though neither was as close to the pole as Polaris is now.
A polestar is a visible star that is approximately aligned with the axis of rotation of an astronomical body; that is, a star whose apparent position...
south polestar, more than one degree away from the pole, but with a magnitude of 5.5 it is barely visible on a clear night. The south celestial pole can...
commonly called the North Star or PoleStar. With an apparent magnitude that fluctuates around 1.98, it is the brightest star in the constellation and...
South Pole where, once again, all visible stars are circumpolar. The celestial north pole is located very close (less than 1° away) to the polestar (Polaris...
Look up pole or Pole in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Pole or poles may refer to: Poles (people), another term for Polish people, those originating...
90°N 0°E / 90°N 0°E / 90; 0 The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole, Terrestrial North Pole or 90th Parallel North, is the point in...
as the southern PoleStar, around the year 66,270 AD. In that year, Sirius will come to within 1.6 degrees of the south celestial pole. This is due to...
NLV PoleStar is a lighthouse tender operated by the Northern Lighthouse Board (NLB), the body responsible for the operation of lighthouses and marine...
The north magnetic pole, also known as the magnetic north pole, is a point on the surface of Earth's Northern Hemisphere at which the planet's magnetic...
Northern Hemisphere, it is historically significant as having been the north polestar from the 4th to 2nd millennium BC. Johann Bayer gave Thuban the designation...
the north polestar. Polaris, the brightest star in the constellation, is a yellow-white supergiant and the brightest Cepheid variable star in the night...
as a distinct grouping in many cultures. The North Star (Polaris), the current northern polestar and the tip of the handle of the Little Dipper (Little...
greater than between the poles. This rate of rotation is just below the critical velocity of 300 km/s at which speed the star would break apart. By contrast...
Royal Order of the Polar Star (Swedish: Kungliga Nordstjärneorden), sometimes translated as the Royal Order of the North Star, is a Swedish order of chivalry...
lode, or Lode Star in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Lodestar is an archaic word for a star that guides, especially the northern polestar. Lodestar may...
polytheism. Some Abrahamic religions prohibit astrolatry as idolatrous. Polestar worship was also banned by imperial decree in Heian period Japan. Astrolatry...
as the navigational pointer towards the place of the current northern polestar, Polaris in Ursa Minor. Ursa Major, along with asterisms it contains or...
approach to the celestial north pole (extrapolated from recent Earth precession). The visible star nearest the north celestial pole 5,000 years ago was Thuban...
Sigma Octantis is a solitary star in the Octans constellation that forms the polestar of the Southern Hemisphere. Its name is also written as σ Octantis...
The Sanskrit term dhruva nakshatra (ध्रुव नक्षत्र, "polar star") has been used for PoleStar in the Mahabharata, personified as son of Uttānapāda and grandson...
polestar and brightest star in Ursa Minor. Kochab is 16 degrees from Polaris and has an apparent visual magnitude of 2.08. The distance to this star...
steady PoleStar (Polaris) was used for the N–S axis; the less-steady Southern Cross had to do for the southern hemisphere, as the southern polestar, Sigma...
ecliptic pole can be calculated as ℓ = 96.38°, b = 29.81° (see celestial coordinate system). Celestial pole Polar alignment PolestarPoles of astronomical...
originally named after the polestar and retained a large badge in the shape of a five-pointed star on her stern. The nautical star is common in insignia,...
'star of the sea') may refer to: Our Lady, Star of the Sea, a title given to the Virgin Mary Polaris, a star commonly called the North Star or Pole Star...
be termed "arguably the next most important star in the sky after the Sun". Vega was the northern polestar around 12,000 BCE and will be so again around...
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