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Polaris is a star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Minor. It is designated α Ursae Minoris ... The position of the star lies less than 1 ...
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.
Polaris (within 1° of the pole) is the nearly stationary bright star just to the right of center in this star trail photo. The north celestial pole currently is within one degree of the bright star Polaris (named from the Latin stella polaris , meaning " pole star ").
Although Polaris can quickly and simply give a solution for latitude in the northern hemisphere, it can not participate in giving a position fix including longitude - it is for this reason it is excluded from the list of 57 primary navigational stars, each of which can be used to produce (in conjunction with each other, known time in relation ...
Currently Polaris is extremely well suited to mark the position of the north celestial pole, as Polaris is a moderately bright star with a visual magnitude of 2.1 (variable), and is located about one degree from the pole, with no stars of similar brightness too close. [28] Precession of Earth's axis around the south ecliptical pole
The approximate position of the north celestial pole is indicated by Polaris (the North Star). In the northern hemisphere, declination can therefore be approximately determined as the difference between the magnetic bearing and a visual bearing on Polaris.
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The right ascension of Polaris is increasing quickly—in AD 2000 it was 2.5h, but when it gets closest to the north celestial pole in 2100 its right ascension will be 6h. The North Ecliptic Pole in Draco and the South Ecliptic Pole in Dorado are always at right ascension 18 h and 6 h respectively.