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A pole star is a visible star that is approximately aligned with the axis of rotation of an astronomical body; that is, a star whose apparent position is close to one of the celestial poles. On Earth , a pole star would lie directly overhead when viewed from the North or the South Pole .
Sigma Octantis is a solitary [9] star in the Octans constellation that forms the pole star of the Southern Hemisphere.Its name is also written as σ Octantis, abbreviated as Sigma Oct or σ Oct, and it is officially named Polaris Australis (/ p oʊ ˈ l ɛər ɪ s ɔː ˈ s t r eɪ l ɪ s /). [10]
In antiquity, Polaris was not yet the closest naked-eye star to the celestial pole, and the entire constellation of Ursa Minor was used for navigation rather than any single star. Polaris moved close enough to the pole to be the closest naked-eye star, even though still at a distance of several degrees, in the early medieval period, and ...
Apparently this astronomical finding had an impact upon the intellectual community in China at the time. Even Shen's political rival and contemporary astronomer Su Song featured Shen's corrected position of the pole star (halfway between Tian shu, at −350 degrees, and the current Polaris) in the fourth star map of his celestial atlas. [102]
In about 5,500 years, the pole will have moved near the position of the star Alderamin (Alpha Cephei), and in 12,000 years, Vega (Alpha Lyrae) will become the "North Star", though it will be about six degrees from the true north celestial pole. To find Polaris, from a point in the Northern Hemisphere, face north and locate the Big Dipper ...
Thuban (/ ˈ θj uː b æ n /), [6] with Bayer designation Alpha Draconis or α Draconis, is a binary star system in the northern constellation of Draco.A relatively inconspicuous star in the night sky of the Northern Hemisphere, it is historically significant as having been the north pole star from the 4th to 2nd millennium BC.
Michael Austin Stackpole (born November 27, 1957) [1] is an American science fiction and fantasy author best known for his Star Wars and BattleTech books. He was born in Wausau, Wisconsin, but raised in Vermont. He has a BA in history from the University of Vermont.
The Sanskrit term dhruva nakshatra (ध्रुव नक्षत्र, "polar star") has been used for Pole Star in the Mahabharata, personified as son of Uttānapāda and grandson of Manu, even though Polaris at the likely period of the recension of the text of the Mahabharata was still several degrees away from the celestial pole. [4] [5]