Polaris, the Pole Star
![[IMAGE: Polaris, the pole star]](../images/clip_image001_0006.gif)
By pure chance, a moderately bright star is seen near the northern celestial pole--Polaris, the pole star (or north star).
As the Earth turns, that direction always makes the same angle with the horizon and is always to the north. Hence the pole star is always in the same spot--north of the observer, and the same height above the horizon.
The closer you are to the equator, the closer is the pole star to the horizon, and at the equator it is on the horizon, and probably not easy to see. Further south, at points such as D, it is no longer visible, but now you can see the southern pole of the sky. Unfortunately, no bright star comparable to Polaris marks that position.
