Thursday, August 6, 2009

Why is the Pole Star so important?

Pole Star

 

One star always remains the same place at while others seem to revolve around it. You know why is the Pole Star so important?

This stationary star is the ‘Pole Star’, which is clearly recognized by sailors, and on a clear night, it is possible to locate the north by looking at it. This star helps to work out all the other three cardinal points of the compass. It also helps in determining latitude. In reality, the Pole Star is a group of three stars.

 

Below Pole Star Info from Wikipedia (Read More):-

A pole star is a visible star, especially a prominent one, that is approximately aligned with the Earth's axis of rotation; that is, a star whose apparent position is close to one of the celestial poles, and which lies (approximately) directly overhead when viewed from the Earth's North Pole or South Pole. There are potentially both northern and southern pole stars, but whether there is either depends on the current orientation of the Earth's axis, which moves over time (see precession of the equinoxes). The term the Pole Star usually refers to the star Polaris (colloquially referred to as the North Star), which is the current northern pole star.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pole_star

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