Why is the north star called the north star?

Answer 1

Heat and light generated by intense friction with the atmosphere as an object (usually a meteor) falls to the earth, discintegrating it usually entirely or nearly entirely before impact.

Answer 2

Earth's northern pole points (more or less) in the general direction of Polaris, the "north star."

This is why the further north you travel, the higher the north star is in the sky. At the north pole itself, Polaris would appear to be almost directly overhead. When you get to the tropic of cancer, the north star is very low on the horizon.

Early sailors did not like going so far south because they would lose their guide stars.

Answer 3

It is not visible during the day, of course, or when it's obscured by clouds.

Also, it's not visible south of the equator, and may be below the horizon parts of the year from places south of the Tropic of Cancer.

The reason it's "always visible" is because it's nearly overhead at the north pole. That means it hardly moves in the sky as the Earth rotates.

So, it never goes below the horizon in the northern hemisphere. It's what astronomers call a "circumpolar star", in the northern hemisphere.

The Earth's north pole is oriented towards the north star, so at any point north of the equator the pole star will be visible, above the northern horizon, on cloudless nights and with an uncluttered horizon.

Answer 4

The north star, Polaris, can NOT always be seen. It can't be seen at all from anywhere in the Southern Hemisphere, and can't be seen during the day. Polaris is actually a fairly dim star, so even in northern hemisphere cities at night, it often cannot be seen in light-polluted areas.

Answer 5

A falling star is a rock that enters the Earth's atmosphere from outer space, moving at a high speed, which heats up and glows as a result of friction with the air. It is more formally known as a meteor. If a fragment survives the passage through the atmosphere and is found on the ground, it is called a meteorite.

Answer 6

Currently, the "north star" is Polaris. However, the Earth is wobbling on its axis, much like a spinning top or gyroscope will wobble.

The Earth's wobble is called "precession", and the wobble takes about 26,000 years to make one full turn. In 3,000 years, Polaris won't be the north star; there won't BE any star directly above the North Pole. (Polaris isn't DIRECTLY above the North Pole now, but it's only about 7/10ths of a degree off. That's pretty close!) In about 10,000 years, Vega will be the "north star", and in 26000 years, it'll be Polaris again.

Answer 7

Because the axis of the Earth at the north pole aligns with its location. Mariners used it to determine true north by its location at night.

Answer 8

It is a meteor or other space debris that has been pulled into the Earth's atmosphere. The speed of the object and the friction/resistance from the atmosphere cause it to burn up upon entry.

Answer 9

A falling star is not really a "star" you see twinkling in the night's sky, but a mere bit of rock called a meteor falling into the earth's atmosphere and burning up.

Answer 10

A falling star is a meteor that enter the earth's atmosphere. While travelling through the earth's atmosphere, it burns out due to friction with the air and a streak of light is seen.