NORTH STAR

6th February, 2023 Science and Technology

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Context:

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar said Parliament is the “North Star” of democracy, “a place of discussion and deliberation to realise the aspirations and dreams of the people”.

About Polaris:

Polaris, known as the North Star, sits more or less directly above Earth's north pole along our planet's rotational axis. This is the imaginary line that extends through the planet and out of the north and south poles.
Since Polaris is less than 1° away from the north celestial pole, almost in direct line with the Earth’s rotational axis, it appears to sit motionless in the northern sky, with all the other stars appearing to rotate around it.
Its position and brightness have allowed humans to use it for navigation since late antiquity. Simply the elevation of the star above the horizon gives the approximate latitude of the observer.

Fast Facts:

Polaris is a star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Minor.
It is designated α Ursae Minorisand is commonly called the North Star or Pole Star.
It is the brightest star in the constellation and is readily visible to the naked eye at night.
The position of the star lies less than 1° away from the north celestial pole, making it the current northern pole star. The stable position of the star in the Northern Sky makes it useful for navigation.
Although appearing to the naked eye as a single point of light, Polaris is a triple star system, composed of the primary, a yellow supergiant designated Polaris Aa, in orbit with a smaller companion, Polaris Ab; the pair is in a wider orbit with Polaris B.