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All Star Line Up: Polaris, the North Star - Windows to the Universe
Artist's concept of the Polaris triple star system
Click on image for star map
NASA, ESA, G. Bacon (STScI)

Related links:

Ursa Minor

Polaris - the North Star

What's in a Name: So named because it is the closest star to the celestial north pole.
Claim to Fame: It's the famous North Star! (actually a triple star system)
Type of Star: Yellow-white Supergiant
How Far Away: 430 light years away
How Big: About 46 times the size of the Sun
How Bright: Roughly 1800 times the luminosity of the Sun
Where to View: In the constellation Ursa Minor.
When to View:All year round in the Northern Hemisphere

Last modified January 18, 2006 by Travis Metcalfe.

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Windows to the Universe, a project of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, is sponsored in part is sponsored in part through grants from federal agencies (NASA and NOAA), and partnerships with affiliated organizations, including the American Geophysical Union, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Earth System Information Partnership, the American Meteorological Society, the National Center for Science Education, and TERC. The American Geophysical Union and the American Geosciences Institute are Windows to the Universe Founding Partners. NESTA welcomes new Institutional Affiliates in support of our ongoing programs, as well as collaborations on new projects. Contact NESTA for more information. NASA ESIP NCSE HHMI AGU AGI AMS NOAA