[Friends_of_SSASTROS] Oh That Mighty Pole Star

[Mike McCabe]

Greetings, Members and Friends of the SSAStros,
A week ago I was milling about one night when I noticed on the Spaceweather site that the 'aurora oval', which is a predictor of auroral activity in our skies, was covering all of Massachusetts. Curious, I popped the cell phone onto the tripod and stepped outside for a gander. It was a little after 10:30pm our time, and I took a couple of exposures of the sky towards the north. While as far as colors in the sky go, for my efforts all I got was light pollution, high thin clouds, and smoke, but I did catch something else that was really cool...the big dipper standing on end!


The image at left is what came from my brief aurora hunting pursuits. As soon as I saw it I thought to myself that this would be a good time to review that well-worn Path to Polaris!
Polaris, aka the North Star, may not be the brightest star in the night sky, but it very well may be the most important one. As bright stars go, it doesn't even make the top ten. In fact it's the 48th brightest sky on the celestial dome, but its fame comes from something much more important than brightness; it essentially stays still in the sky 24/7/365.
Very closely aligned with Earth's north celestial pole, Polaris has been used as a navigational beacon for as far back records go. Need to know your latitude? Merely go out in the dark of night and measure the height of Polaris above the horizon. If you do it from our area, the figure you'll come up with will be 42°. Let's say you got kidnapped, blindfolded, tossed into the back of an old white work van, driven somewhere for a day or so, then dumped out because your abductors couldn't stand you anymore. Just wait until dark, measure the height of Polaris above the ground and you'll know which way to start walking. Coming up with 32°? Check for snakes and start heading north. 55°? Find an abandoned cabin, steal a coat, and head south. See how easy it is?
But what if you don't know how to find Polaris? Working from the wrong star could have devastating consequences, so pay attention. See that Big Dipper? That's all you need. Just remember the old saying "the two stars in the end of the bowl of the Big Dipper point to Polaris."  That's all there is to it, simple as that. Can't see the Big Dipper? You can also use Cassiopeia. More on that another time.
Of course the most common utility that Polaris provides for us these days is as an aid for aligning our astronomy equipment, so study up. There'll be a test at the next observing session and everyone is expected to get it 100% correct...or else.  ;-)
Mike M.


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