How to find 'Polaris' - the North Star

Do you live in a big city permeated with light pollution?  Never been camping?  Or has just no one ever pointed it out to you?

Polaris, the North Star, is an important navigational star because its position in the sky is almost exactly (within a few degrees) lined up with the rotational axis of the Earth. This means that no matter where you are on the Earth (so long as you're in the Northern Hemisphere) if you face toward Polaris you are facing North. Finding Polaris is an incredibly useful night time navigation technique that's helped everyone from the Egyptians to the Vikings find there way on the open seas. But it also is one of the easiest stars to find - something my Dad taught us as kids - and can serve as a great entryway into the world of star gazing and constellations. In fact, locating it involves two of perhaps the three most recognizable constellations in the northern hemisphere (two of which we'll mention in a second; the third being Orion, the hunter).

Let's get started.

**Note**  All photos in this instructable were found on the internet, and are the property of their respective owners.  I will cite as much information about original sources as I can find.  [I wanted to take the photos myself, but unfortunately the rainy season in Japan could just as well be named the cloudy season.  (;_;)    ]

**Apology**  Sorry for the poor quality of some of these photos.  It turns out star fields don't hold up well under the Instructables.com image compression.  Feel free to click the [ î ] in the upper left corner to view the full size images if you're having trouble.

Step 1: Locate the Big Dipper - (Ursa Major)

The first step is to find the constellation of Ursa Major, commonly known as the Big Dipper.  It is perhaps the most easily recognizable constellation in the night sky, and looks like a large spoon or perhaps a wheel barrow.

It is composed of seven bright stars - three in the handle and four in the head of the spoon.  If you can find it in the picture above, great.  If not, look at the next photo.

Comments

[flio191]

This only works if you live north of the equator btw. Polaris at the equator is located at 0 degrees, or basically at the horizon.

Therefore, a good way to figure out where Polaris is is to figure out how north you are from the equator – the more north, the higher up from the horizon it's gonna be.

For example, in Hawaii, you can measure up about 20 degrees from the horizon and you know if you're facing north, you can find it that way. A local trick is to hold up a shaka hand with your pinky at the horizon, and your thumb facing upward, and holding your arm straight forward, your thumb should just be on or right below Polaris.

I learned using the big dipper though.  You can further find Arcturus and Spica by following the arch of the dipper handle.  Arc to Arcturus, spike to Spica.

Also note that Polaris is the handle end of Ursa Minor, or the little dipper.

[flio191]

Nevermind that last bit, you've got that covered ;D

[Polarize]

Thanks, simple but helpful :)

[doublequick]

to a newbie, too many star arrangements look like the Big Dipper. I suggest, for teaching purposes, going out with someone who knows how to use a compass (declination and all that). Determine North. From that, determine the North Star. From that, determine the actual Big & Little Dippers.
After that lesson, it should vecome easy to locate the Dippers and the pole star whenever afield

[paganwonder]

You mean there's another way besides using 'Sky-view' on a smart phone?!? Who'd of thought... ;)