polaris | EarthSky

Polaris is the North Star

Many people think Polaris is the brightest star, but it's only 50th in brightness. Still, Polaris is famous because the entire northern sky wheels around it.

Drawing of a giraffe without spots and a man and deer on its back.

Camelopardalis the Giraffe swings around Polaris

Camelopardalis the Giraffe is a sprawling constellation made of dim stars that lies close the the north celestial pole. Northerners can see it all year long.

Star chart showing Big Dipper, Little Dipper and Polaris with stars labeled.

Use Big Dipper to find Polaris in September

Use the famous Big Dipper to find Polaris, the North Star. In September, the Big Dipper is in the northwest in the evening. But watch for it soon!

Star chart showing Big and Little Dippers, and constellation Draco.

Polaris and Thuban via the Big Dipper in July

Polaris and Thuban have this in common: both reside, or have resided, at the apex of Earth's sky. That is, both are famous pole stars.

A blue, sparse background with a white line crossing the sky, near a medium-bright star.

ISS passing Polaris, seen from Canada

What a catch! This EarthSky community member caught the International Space Station (ISS) slicing across the night sky on May 17, 2021, passing Polaris, the North Star.

Big Dipper to Polaris, Mizar, Alcor

Use the Big Dipper to find Polaris, the North Star. Then notice the two stars Mizar and Alcor in the Big Dipper’s handle.

Comet Lovejoy near star Polaris

Comet Lovejoy on May 22, 2015. The comet is the brilliant green dot near the center of the photo. At the upper right of the photo is the star Polaris, aka the North Star.

Very many circular concentric white lines surrounding a bright white dot.

Polaris, aka the North Star, is getting brighter

Modern interpretations of the historical data indicate that Polaris could be as much as 4.6 times brighter than it appeared to some of the earliest astronomers.

Big Dipper with red line to Polaris next to horizon from southerly latitude.

The Big Dipper, the Pointers and Polaris

Want to find Polaris, the North Star? The entire northern sky turns around it. If you can find the Big Dipper, you can always find Polaris.

Slash of white light alongside Milky Way.

Meteor shower guide: Next up, summer meteors

Your meteor shower guide for 2022 and early 2023. There are some good ones! Next up ... the Delta Aquariids and the Perseids in late July and August.

Landscape with lines indicating constellations Draco and Cygnus above horizon.

Eltanin and Rastaban, the Dragon’s eyes

These 2 famous stars shine down from the northern sky. Eltanin and Rastaban represent the fiery eyes of the constellation Draco the Dragon.

Star chart: Big and Little Dippers with an arrow pointing to Polaris from pointer stars.

Ursa Minor the Lesser Bear is the Little Dipper

Ursa Minor is the Lesser Bear, but you might know it as the Little Dipper. Also, its brightest star is Polaris, the North Star.

Does the North Star ever move?

The North Star is a symbol for constancy. But, if you took its picture, you'd find that it makes its own little circle around the sky's north pole every day.

Big and Little Dippers with red arrow from bowl stars to Polaris.

Big and Little Dippers on June evenings

How can you see both the Big and Little Dippers? On June evenings, the Big Dipper is high in the north. Let it be your guide to the Little Dipper.

Sky chart linking the Big Dipper to the Little Dipper with an arrow, with labeled stars.

Kochab and Pherkad: The Guardians of the Pole

Kochab and Pherkad are two stars in the Little Dipper that carry the nickname of the Guardians of the Pole. Here's how to find them and more.

Keystone shape with arms and legs spiraling out from the corners and stars labeled for Hercules.

Hercules the Strong Man and a great globular cluster

Hercules the Strong Man is a great constellation to view in June. With only a pair of binoculars you can see the globular cluster M13 in the Keystone.

Very many concentric white circles with one star in the center, over trees.

Circumpolar stars never rise or set

Circumpolar stars stay above the horizon all hours of the day, every day and every night of the year. In the north, they circle around Polaris in Ursa Minor.

Antique etching of curling, writhing snake-like dragon with scattered stars.

Draco the Dragon, and a former pole star

Let your eyes and imagination drift to see the winding shape of Draco the Dragon. And meet Thuban, a former pole star, between the Big and Little Dippers.

A chart showing how to use the handle of the Big Dipper to find the stars Arcturus and Spica.

Arcturus, brightest star of the north

Arcturus is the brightest star north of the celestial equator. Near the handle of the Big Dipper, it's easy to find in spring in the Northern Hemisphere.

Dots and lines making the shape of the Big Dipper plus the longer form including the head and legs of Ursa Major.

Ursa Major the Great Bear, home to the Big Dipper

Ursa Major the Great Bear is in Northern Hemisphere skies and is home to the asterism of the Big Dipper, which you can use to find other constellations.

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Polaris is the North Star

Camelopardalis the Giraffe swings around Polaris

Use Big Dipper to find Polaris in September

Polaris and Thuban via the Big Dipper in July

ISS passing Polaris, seen from Canada

Big Dipper to Polaris, Mizar, Alcor

Comet Lovejoy near star Polaris

Polaris, aka the North Star, is getting brighter

The Big Dipper, the Pointers and Polaris

Meteor shower guide: Next up, summer meteors

Eltanin and Rastaban, the Dragon’s eyes

Ursa Minor the Lesser Bear is the Little Dipper

Does the North Star ever move?

Big and Little Dippers on June evenings

Kochab and Pherkad: The Guardians of the Pole

Hercules the Strong Man and a great globular cluster

Circumpolar stars never rise or set

Draco the Dragon, and a former pole star

Arcturus, brightest star of the north

Ursa Major the Great Bear, home to the Big Dipper