More on Polaris Polaris, the name for the northern pole star is derived from the Renaissance Latin phrase “stella polaris,” which, unsurprisingly, means “polar star.” It’s located within one degree of the celestial pole, meaning it both appears directly overhead, at the North Pole, and that it’s rotation around the celestial pole is so minute as to be invisible to the naked eye. It doesn’t move, as far as we can see. While commonly believed to be the brightest star in the night sky, that is more a cultural artifact than reality, because of it’s significance. None other than The Bard himself, attested to its cultural significance to all of humanity—or at least all of humanity in the northern hemisphere: “I could be well moved if I were as you. If I could pray to move, prayers would move me. But I am constant as the Northern Star, Of whose true fixed and resting quality There is no fellow in the firmament. The skies are painted with unnumbered sparks; They are all fire, and every one doth shine; But there’s but one in all doth hold his place.” (Julius Caesar, Act III Scene I) It is the immovable reliability of Polaris that makes it such a cultural lodestone, rather than it’s brightness. While everything else in the night sky moves, the pole star does not. It simply sits there, imperturbable and steadfast in its utter dependability. As we’ve noted, numerous times thus far, being able to simply locate North, reliably, via the pole star, means you can easily lay out the other seven of the eight cardinal directions. Here in the northern hemisphere, assuming the night sky is not completely socked in with a low cloud ceiling, finding Polaris is easy and simply, using the Big Dipper. In turn, finding the Big Dipper is likewise easy and simple, as even the least outdoorsy person in modern western civilization is probably familiar with the shape of these seven bright stars. While it may appear upside down, or lying on its side, as it circumnavigates the celestial sphere, the relationship of the seven stars to one another, in the shape of the large cup, never changes. Use the two stars that form the forward edge of the dipper, furthest from the “handle.” Follow the straight line formed by that forward edge and go roughly five times the length between the two stars. Along that axis, you will see another star, apparently alone in the night sky. While it is far from the brightest star visible,1 it stands out as the brightest in its part of the sky, because of its solitude2. By drawing an imaginary line straight down to the ground, from Polaris, you’ve determined the direction of true north3. This method will, with even minimal practice, give you a closer orientation to true north than a compass will, because of the margin for error in declination, and the potential impact of large metal objects—such as rifles—and electrical interference—such as radios on your compass needle. Read the rest: https://www.patreon.com/posts/primi...paign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link Continue reading...
