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whatever latitude you are at, that is the angle to polaris.. and the other way around
angle it makes with respect to horizon is equal to observers latitude. i.e. Philadelphia latitude 40 degrees so Polaris 40 degrees above horizon
Your latitude!
Polaris (the "North Star") doesn't have a latitude. But that's OK, because latitude is not what you're looking for. You're really trying to ask for its "elevation" ... the angle between the horizon and Polaris in the sky. That angle is equal to the observer's north latitude, so it would be easy to answer if we knew what location you're actually interested in. Here are a few possibilities: -- Massena NY . . . . . 44.9° above the northern horizon -- Rochester NY . . . . 43.2° above the northern horizon -- Buffalo NY . . . . . . 42.9° above the northern horizon -- 85th St Transverse in Central Park, Manhattan . . . 40.8° above the northern horizon
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.
You would never see Polaris there because it would always be 41 degrees or more below the northern horizon. On the other hand you can see many fine stars and constellations that are never seen in North Europe or the north of the USA and Canada.
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 latitude would also be approximately 40 degrees in this case.
The latitude of the observer is equal to the altitude of Polaris. Therefore, if the altitude of Polaris is 43 degrees, then the latitude of the observer is 43 degrees.
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.
Since Polaris is (more or less) directly over the celestial pole, for any point in the northern hemisiphere it will be a number of degrees above the (theoretical) horizon equivalent to the latitude of the location you're observing it from. Its altitude above the actual horizon may be different, due the fact that the Earth isn't a perfect sphere.
It's the circle whose radius is the same as your north latitude. (That means it depends on where you are, and if you're south of the equator, Polaris is below your horizon anyway and there is no such circle.)