Polaris (or the North Star) is almost directly above the North pole. This means that when you stand on the north pole and look directly up, you will see Polaris. This also means that when you stand at the equator and look directly north, you will see Polaris on the horizon. You can not see Polaris from the Southern Hemisphere.
The angle Polaris is above the horizon is equal to the degree latitude that you are standing on. Therefore at the equator, Polaris is 0 degrees above the horizon and at the north pole, Polaris is 90 degrees above the horizon.
The altitude of Polaris and the latitude of an observer are directly related. The altitude of Polaris in the sky is approximately equal to the observer's latitude in the Northern Hemisphere. The higher the latitude, the higher Polaris will appear in the sky.
The angle of Polaris above the northern horizon is very nearly equal to your north latitude, within about 1/3 of a degree. So it's over your head when you stand at the north pole, it sits nominally on your north horizon when you stand anywhere on the equator, and if you're south of the equator, you can never see it at all.
Polaris is used as a celestial reference point for Earth's latitude system because it is located almost directly above the North Pole. This means that it remains relatively fixed in the sky as the Earth rotates, making it a reliable reference point for determining one's latitude in the Northern Hemisphere.
The North Star (Polaris) appears closest to the horizon at the Earth's equator (0° latitude) because as you move away from the equator towards the poles, the angle of Polaris above the horizon increases. At the North Pole (90° latitude), Polaris is directly overhead.
There are a couple of reasons that make Polaris, the north star, very useful. First of all, Polaris is not DIRECTLY above the North Pole; it's about two thirds of a degree off. But that's close enough so that if we assume that Polaris is exactly above the North Pole, you won't go very far off. So if you can see Polaris, you know which direction is north. If you measure the elevation angle above the horizon of Polaris, your reading is your latitude. No calculation is necessary!
the altitude of polaris is same as the latitude of your location assuming that you are in the northern hemisphere
The altitude of Polaris and the latitude of an observer are directly related. The altitude of Polaris in the sky is approximately equal to the observer's latitude in the Northern Hemisphere. The higher the latitude, the higher Polaris will appear in the sky.
whatever latitude you are at, that is the angle to polaris.. and the other way around
Find your latitude and that is the altitude of Polaris in the sky.
If Polaris appears 60° above the northern horizon, then you are pretty near 60° north latitude. If you're on the equator ... 0° north latitude ... then Polaris is on the horizon ... 0° altitude. If you're at the north pole ... 90° north latitude ... then Polaris is over your head ... 90° altitude. The altitude above the northern horizon at which Polaris appears is nearly identical to your north latitude. ================================================= The difference (error) between Polaris and the real North Celestial Pole is about 0.7 degree. Not good enough for precise navigation or surveying, but just fine for directions when you're hiking.
Latitude is going across.
If the altitude of Polaris is 43 degrees above the northern horizon, then the observer is located somewhere within roughly 1/2 degree of 43 degrees north latitude.
43 degrees because the altitude of polaris is equal to the latitude of utica.
The altitude of polaris for an observer is always the same as your latitude so it would be 64oN
Polaris just happens to be positioned almost (but not quite exactly!) above the North Pole. So if you are facing Polaris, you are facing almost exactly north. If you measure the altitude of Polaris as an angle above the horizon, you can read your latitude directly on your sextant. It isn't exact; you need to apply a small correction based on the date and time, but it's the easiest latitude measurement you'll ever do. Even without the correction, it is only off by about 2/3 of a minute of arc, or 40 minutes of latitude.
It is 89 deg 16 min, approx.
The angle of Polaris above the northern horizon is very nearly equal to your north latitude, within about 1/3 of a degree. So it's over your head when you stand at the north pole, it sits nominally on your north horizon when you stand anywhere on the equator, and if you're south of the equator, you can never see it at all.