The North Star is a title of the star best suited for navigation northwards. A candidate must be visible from Earth and circumpolar to the north celestial pole. The current one is Polaris. It is the star at the end of the "handle" of the Little Dipper asterism in the constellation Ursa Minor. It is close to the celestial North Pole, but off by about two-thirds of 1°.
2007-03-19 09:43:58
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answer #1
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answered by DanE 7
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It is reasonably bright (50th brightest star in the sky, not counting planets) and very near the north celestial pole so it never rises or sets. It is always visible from anywhere north of the equator and never visible from anywhere south of the equator.
2007-03-19 17:04:16
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answer #2
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answered by campbelp2002 7
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It's not. It just happens to be on the north celestial pole.
2007-03-19 16:39:08
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answer #3
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answered by chase 3
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Well, it is brighter than most other stars, for one.
It is also almost exactly aligned with the earth's polar axis, so it doesn't move much through the night sky.
2007-03-19 16:39:33
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answer #4
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answered by Tom 3
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