STAR SYSTEM . Polaris is not a single star, but a multiple star system. The main component, Alpha Ursae Minoris Aa, is an evolved yellow supergiant star belonging to the spectral class F7. It is 2,500 times more luminous than the Sun, 4.5 times more massive, and has a radius 46 times that of the Sun.
Polaris is located in the constellation of Ursa Minor, the Little Bear . What type of star is Polaris?
You might be wondering “How do you use other constellations to find Polaris?”
To use other constellations to find the North Star , or Polaris, find the Big Dipper in the northern sky. The Big Dipper is made up of 7 stars and looks like a bowl with a handle. Draw an imaginary line between the two stars that form the side of the bowl away from the hand, then extend that line about 4 or 5 times.
The leading edge (defined by the stars Dubhe and Merak ) is referenced to a clock face, and the true azimuth of Polaris worked out for different latitudes. The apparent motion of Polaris towards and, in the future, away from the celestial pole, is due to the precession of the equinoxes.
In 2019, a study by R. I. Anderson gave a period of 29.32 ± 0.11 years with an eccentricity of 0.620 ± 0.008 . There were once thought to be two more widely separated components—Polaris C and Polaris D—but these have been shown not to be physically associated with the Polaris system.
For observers at the equator, Polaris sits right on the horizon. The star clmbs higher in the sky the farther north you go and drops below the horizon for observers in the southern hemisphere. Polaris was used as the pole star by navigators at least from Late Antiquity.
The stars Dubhe and Merak in Ursa Major, also known as the Pointers, are the easiest way to find Polaris. These are the two bright stars that outline the outer part of the bowl of the Big Dipper. An imaginary line through these stars leads directly to the North Star. Polaris is located at about five times the distance between the Pointer Stars .
Which constellation contains the North Star?
The Little Dipper is the constellation that contains the North Star. The tip of the Little Dipper’s handle is the north star. If you’re able to locate the Little Dipper, you can easily spot the north star.