Polaris, the North Star: how to find it
Polaris, the North Star, marks north because it sits only 0.6° from the north celestial pole, so it stays in almost the same spot all night while the other stars turn around it. It isn't the brightest star: at magnitude 1.97, it ranks 45th of the 74 bright stars on our list.
Polaris at a glance
- Constellation
- Ursa Minor
- Magnitude
- 1.97
- Rank on our list
- 45 of 74
- Hemisphere
- Northern
- Right ascension
- 2 h 32 min
- Declination
- 89.3° north
- Visible from
- north of 0.6° S
- Never sets
- north of 0.6° N
- Name from
- Latin
- Same constellation
- Kochab
Where Polaris is in the sky
Polaris sits 89.3° north of the celestial equator, the line in the sky directly above Earth's equator, so it's in the northern half of the sky. Its right ascension is 2 h 32 min.
Right ascension works like longitude on the sky. It's counted in hours, and about one hour of it turns past you each hour of the night.
Why Polaris stays still
Earth spins around an axis that points at the north celestial pole. As Earth turns, every star seems to circle that point once a day. Polaris is only 0.6° from the pole, so its circle is too small to notice.
Its height above the horizon is about the same as your latitude, and it always sits due north. From 40° N it stands 40° up, and from 60° N it stands 60° up.
How to find Polaris
Start with the Big Dipper, the seven bright stars of Ursa Major. The two stars at the outer end of its bowl, Merak and Dubhe, are called the pointers.
Follow the line from Merak through Dubhe and keep going for about five times the gap between them. You reach Polaris, 29° from Dubhe, at the end of the handle of the Little Dipper.
The southern sky has no bright pole star
No bright star sits near the south celestial pole. On our list, the closest is Miaplacidus, 20° from the pole. The nearest star you can see with the naked eye is faint Sigma Octantis, and it needs a dark sky.
To find the south pole of the sky, use the Southern Cross. Follow its long bar from Gacrux through Acrux, and keep going for about 4.4 times its length.
When and where to see Polaris
How high Polaris climbs from each latitude
The evening is about 9 pm local time, or 10 pm during daylight saving time, and later when the sky is still too bright. A star counts as in the evening sky when it's at least 10° above the horizon.
| Latitude | Visibility | Highest point | Evening sky |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60° N | Never sets | 61° in the north | All year |
| 50° N | Never sets | 51° in the north | All year |
| 40° N | Never sets | 41° in the north | All year |
| 30° N | Never sets | 31° in the north | All year |
| 20° N | Never sets | 21° in the north | All year |
| Equator | Rises and sets | 1° in the north | None |
| 20° S | Never rises | Below the horizon | None |
| 34° S | Never rises | Below the horizon | None |
| 45° S | Never rises | Below the horizon | None |
What the name Polaris means
Polaris comes from the Latin stella polaris, the pole star.
Keep the sky of a night that matters
Our star maps show the stars above any place, at the minute you choose, with the constellation lines drawn in. If Polaris was above the horizon that night, it's on your map, and we print it on museum-grade paper.
Questions about the North Star
No. Polaris ranks 45th of the 74 bright stars on our list, at magnitude 1.97. The brightest star in the night sky is Sirius, at magnitude -1.44.
Polaris sits 0.6° from the north celestial pole, the point that Earth's axis points to. As Earth turns, Polaris circles that point in a ring too small to notice.
Find the Big Dipper and follow the two pointer stars at the end of its bowl, Merak and Dubhe, for about five times the gap between them. That line leads to Polaris.
Hardly. Polaris sits just above the northern horizon at the equator, and it never rises south of 0.6° S.
No. Earth's axis slowly circles over about 26,000 years, so the pole drifts across the stars. In about 12,000 years, Vega will be near the north celestial pole.