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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.
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
Wiki User
∙ 8y agoIt points due North.
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What is necessary for a compass to work as a navigation tool?
It's not necessary at all. But the fact that it can be usedas a navigational tool makes it quite useful.
Who makes the polaris sportman 90 for polaris?
The machine is designed by Polaris and built by Aeon.
Who makes polaris spyder motorcycle?
Could it possibly be polaris lol
What was the north Star to?
Polaris, the North Star, has been used for navigation in the northern hemisphere for centuries. It is reasonably static, while the Earth's rotation makes all the other stars appear to circle round it.
What is the main features of the Mercator projection?
Mercator projection represents rhumb lines, which are useful for navigation. It makes the areas near the poles appear very large.
What is the main feature of the mercator projection?
Mercator projection represents rhumb lines, which are useful for navigation. It makes the areas near the poles appear very large.
What does polaris point to?
Polaris, also known as the North Star or Pole Star, is a prominent star in the night sky that appears almost stationary as viewed from the Earth's Northern Hemisphere. It is located very close to the celestial North Pole, which is the point in the sky directly above the Earth's geographic North Pole. Because of its proximity to the celestial North Pole, Polaris serves as a useful navigational tool. If you were to extend a line from the Earth's North Pole into the sky, it would point very close to Polaris. This makes Polaris an important reference point for navigation and orientation, especially for travelers and navigators in the Northern Hemisphere. For centuries, sailors, explorers, and travelers have used Polaris to help them determine their northward direction. Its relatively fixed position in the sky makes it a reliable guide for finding the direction of true north, which is important for navigation with a compass or even basic orientation when observing the night sky.
What does the navigation bar in Windows do?
makes you the messiah
What kind of oil does your 1996 polaris Indy xcr 600 take?
Polaris Blue, Polaris is the only one who makes it and it is recommended with most polaris snowmobiles. If it is high performance, u should use the Premium synthetic GOLD
Who makes victory motorcycle?
Polaris, the same people who make the snowmobiles
What is the north star found in the constellation Ursa minor?
The North Star is also called Polaris. It is close to straight up, if you are at the North Pole, and just about straight north to anyone in the northern hemisphere. This makes Polaris very important for old style navigation. As the world turns, it appears to the eye to stay in the same place in the sky, where other stars move on routes from east to west, as the sun does.
What makes nighttime on the moon cold?
Nighttime on the moon is cold because there's no sunlight to warm it and no atmosphere to trap the heat.Note: the far side of the moon isn't always dark.
