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Polaris - Is it really the brightest star

ribuck

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ribuck

ribuck

Posted
Posted

Hi all,

I'm having dificulty trying to locate Polaris. I was led to believe it was the brightest star in the northern sky, but when i try and locate it using the big dipper (Sorry - Ursa Major) i cant see any star in particular that is very bright, certainly nothing as bright as vega or the the stars of the big dipper.

So would i be right to assume that it isn't in fact as bright as i have been led to believe ?

I have ordered a copy of starry night to try and help me find it an other stars for a proper polar / 3 star alignment.

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The Warthog

The Warthog

Posted
Posted

Hi all,

I'm having dificulty trying to locate Polaris. I was led to believe it was the brightest star in the northern sky, but when i try and locate it using the big dipper (Sorry - Ursa Major) i cant see any star in particular that is very bright, certainly nothing as bright as vega or the the stars of the big dipper.

So would i be right to assume that it isn't in fact as bright as i have been led to believe ?

I have ordered a copy of starry night to try and help me find it an other stars for a proper polar / 3 star alignment.

Polaris is a variable star that varies between about 2 and 3 magnitude. It is the brightest star in its vicinity, so is fairly easy to spot in good skies. At its best, it will be as bright as the stars in the Big Dipper, a little dimmer at other times. If you are in Britain, it is going to be at an altitude of about 50 degrees, and is actually nicely in line with the stars in the end of the bowl of the Dipper. It is also about halfway from Cassiopeia to the Big Dipper.

The idea that Polaris is the brightest star in the sky is an urban myth. The brightest star in the sky is Sirius, and in summer I believe Vega takes the honours, although I am not 100% sure about that one.

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dogfish

dogfish

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You are correct that it is not the brightest star in the sky - that honour goes to Sirius (not around at the moment, so forget about it until later in the year). To find polaris you use the two stars that form the far edge of the bowl of the big dipper (i.e. at the opposite end from the handle). If you draw an imaginary line through these two stars and extend it for roughly 25 degrees, you come to polaris. A useful way of estimating 25 degrees is to hold your hand at arms length and spread out your fingers and thumb and 25 degrees is the full span across.

I hope that all makes sense.

regards, Martin

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Ant

Ant

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Posted

The amount of people that are under the impression that Polaris is the brightest star.

I have someone a few months ago as me is Venus was Polaris.

I wonder where that little chestnut started?

Ant

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ribuck

ribuck

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Well i was told by a friend........ :D I'll have to ask him where he got the info from, so maybe after asking a few million people we might discover the root of this myth..............Well my grannies granny, who spoke to the postman who was the friends of the fisherman said so......lol. :)

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GazOC

GazOC

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I think a lot of people look up in the summer, see Vega near zenith, don't allow for our latitude, assume that 'north' and 'zenith' are the same thing and that Vega must be Polaris.

Just my pet theory.....feel free to de-bunk :D

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Wedge

Wedge

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Hi

If you have located Ursa Major, you can use my little picture I made to locate Polaris.

It took my a little while at first, but now I have found it, I will never loose it again!

Please note that the Plough will rotate around polaris during the year, so you may have to turn your computer screen around to use it... :)

Polaris.jpg

:D

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The Warthog

The Warthog

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I havn't a clue where this one started from Ant, :? because a visual observation will tell you that there are brighter stars like Vega which is not near the "north".

"Those that have eyes to see, let them see." Most people don't check their assumptions against reality. Most people couldn't point within ninety degrees of north if they weren't on a street running north-south. Half of them would point the wrong way, anyway.

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Talitha

Talitha

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I think a lot of people look up in the summer, see Vega near zenith, don't allow for our latitude, assume that 'north' and 'zenith' are the same thing and that Vega must be Polaris.

Just my pet theory.....feel free to de-bunk :)

That makes a LOT of sense! :D

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proflight2000

proflight2000

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Polaris is the 49th brightest star in the sky and 150 times bigger than the sun. When you have found it up your view to around 100x and you will see a little friend with it :D only need to do another 20 drawings and it will be the turn of polaris to be added to my journal.

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