It is easy to orient oneself during the day and to find the cardinal points: the sun rises in the east, sets in the west, and moves towards the south around 12 PM (winter time) or 1 PM (summer time). I say “surrounding” because we have settled on time zones that can be farther or closer from the observation point. For example, at my place, there is almost an hour of work, and the sun is to the south around 1:50 PM (summer time).
Polaris, the star that indicates the north
At night, there is no fixed phenomenon in the south that would allow for such positioning. Therefore, we must look for the north. Fortunately, the North Star, Polaris, in the constellation Ursa Minor, is located almost at the celestial North Pole and thus moves very little during the night. Moreover, it is visible all year round. Unfortunately, even though Polaris is visible to the naked eye, it is not a very bright star. But fortunately, there is a simple method to easily locate it.
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Note that as Polaris moves in the sky, it has not always been the North Star and will soon (well, soon…) no longer be. In 12,000 years, the North Star will be, for example, the star Vega in the Lyra constellation.
Polaris, in the center, is almost fixed in the night sky. It indicates the celestial North Pole.
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How to locate Polaris?
To locate Polaris, we must first identify the two constellations closest to it, namely Cassiopeia and the Big Dipper. At our European latitudes, the Big Dipper and Cassiopeia are visible every clear evening of the year. They are easily identifiable; the Big Dipper consists of 7 very bright stars that form a sort of scoop (or cart), and Cassiopeia consists of 5 very bright stars that form a W (or M).
The North Star is located between the Big Dipper and Cassiopeia. To locate it accurately, you need to extend 5 times the distance between Merak and Dubhe towards Cassiopeia.
Here, you have found the north! From the start, it becomes very simple to orient yourself, especially to align a star map and discover other constellations.
Tag : know where the North is located