Polaris

/poʊˈlærɪs/ noun

Definition

The North Star, the brightest star in the constellation Ursa Minor that sits almost directly above Earth's North Pole and has been used for navigation for centuries.

Etymology

From Latin 'stella polaris,' meaning 'polar star.' The name comes from Greek 'polos' (pole) because of its position relative to Earth's rotational axis.

Kelly Says

Polaris looks like it never moves in the night sky because it sits almost exactly on the axis Earth spins around—imagine balancing a spinning top with a tiny dot right on its tip, and that's why sailors could always find north by finding Polaris, making it possibly humanity's oldest GPS!

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