How to Find the North Star

Many people want to find Polaris, the North Star. It is easy to find if you know the Big Dipper. The Big Dipper is a group of bright stars in the northern sky.

Look for the Big Dipper. It looks like a big spoon or ladle. The two stars at the front edge of its bowl point right to the North Star. These two stars are called "The Pointers." Their real names are Dubhe and Merak.

Long ago, sailors used these stars to find their way. Scouts also use them to find north.

Polaris is not the brightest star. It is a star of medium brightness. But you can see it on a dark night. Most stars move across the sky. Stars near Polaris seem to move in a circle around it. But Polaris itself stays in one place in the north.

For people in the Northern Hemisphere, spring is a good time to see the Big Dipper in the evening. It is easiest to see in spring. It is hardest to see in fall.

If you live very far north, you can see the Big Dipper all the time. It is always above the horizon, always circling Polaris. If you live north of about 35 degrees north latitude, you can see it any night, all year. This line is near the Mediterranean Sea and the southern border of Tennessee in the United States.

People in the Southern Hemisphere can also see the Big Dipper if they are north of about 26 degrees south latitude.

The Big Dipper is not a full constellation. It is an asterism. An asterism is a well-known star pattern. The Big Dipper is part of a bigger constellation called Ursa Major, the Great Bear. Its shape looks like a large dipper or ladle.

If you stand and face Polaris, you are facing north. If you turn so that Polaris is behind you, you are facing south. This only works in the Northern Hemisphere. If you are south of the equator, you cannot see Polaris.

In summary, you can find the North Star, Polaris, by using the two outer stars in the bowl of the Big Dipper. Just follow the line they make.