Where is Polaris?

Polaris is located in Ursa minor, about 430 light years away from the earth. It is a star with stable brightness and position that can be seen in the night sky. Because Polaris is closest to true north, people on earth have been navigating by its starlight for thousands of years.

Polaris is a bright star in the northern part of the sky. It is very close to the North Pole of the Earth, almost facing the Earth's axis. Seen from the earth, its position is almost unchanged, so it can be used to identify the direction. Due to precession, Polaris is not an eternal star. Now it is alpha Ursa minor, and it will be Vega in the year of 14000.

Polaris is now in the sky, pointing to the north pole of the earth. Therefore, it always seems to be in the northern sky. It is because of its important position that it is famous. In fact, according to the brightness, it is just an ordinary second-class star, belonging to the "younger generation." It is more than 300 light-years away from us, and Polaris belongs to the brightest star in Ursa minor, also called Alpha Ursa minor. China called it "Gouchenyi" or "Beichen" in ancient times. On the constellation diagram, it is on the tip of the bear's tail.