Polaris is the North Star, and it’s actually a triple star system. Because Polaris lies nearly in a direct line with the Earth’s rotational axis above the North Pole, it stands almost motionless in the sky, and all the stars of the northern sky appear to rotate around it. The elevation of the star above the horizon actually gives the approximate latitude of the observer. The modern name of Polaris is shortened from the Neo-Latin, “stella polaris” coined in the Renaissance when the star had approached the celestial pole to within a few degrees.
Name: Polaris
Designation: Alpha Ursae Minoris
Constellation: Ursae Minor
Hemisphere: Northern
Spectral Class: F-type yellow supergiant
Temperature: 7,000K
Distance: 440 LY
Apparent Magnitude: 1.97
Polaris is the North Star, and it’s actually a triple star system. Because Polaris lies nearly in a direct line with the Earth’s rotational axis above the North Pole, it stands almost motionless in the sky, and all the stars of the northern sky appear to rotate around it. The elevation of the star above the horizon actually gives the approximate latitude of the observer. The modern name of Polaris is shortened from the Neo-Latin, “stella polaris” coined in the Renaissance when the star had approached the celestial pole to within a few degrees.
Name: Polaris
Designation: Alpha Ursae Minoris
Constellation: Ursae Minor
Hemisphere: Northern
Spectral Class: F-type yellow supergiant
Temperature: 7,000K
Distance: 440 LY
Apparent Magnitude: 1.97
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