Equator
Your at the equator if you see Polaris at the horizon
It is the horizon.
it does move
Due to the vast distance between the earth and polaris, the earths axis of rotation essentially lines up with polaris at all times, so when the stars are visible, and viewed from the north pole, the earths rotation causes the stars to appear to rotate around polaris.
The altitude of the celestial pole from the horizon actually tells you your latitude. So If I locate Polaris, the star that our earth's celestial pole points to and I see it's 40 degrees above the horizon to the north, I know that my latitude is 40 degrees north. Think about the extremes, if your on the equator looking for the celestial pole, you would see it on the northern horizon correct? (0 degrees) Now think of where the celestial pole would be pointing when on the north pole. You guessed it, straight up! (90 degrees)
Where on Earth are you if Polaris is on your horizon?
Your at the equator if you see Polaris at the horizon
Your at the equator if you see Polaris at the horizon
the degree of polaris on the horizon is your latitude. Shows the curvature of the earth. When the degree of polaris is 1 degree greater, you move the some distance if you move another degree. Shows how everything is equally distant from the center.
The altitude doesn't depend much on whether the night is clear.If you live in the northern hemisphere, the altitude of Polaris above the horizon will APPROXIMATELY be equal to your latitude. If you live in the southern hemisphere, Polaris will be BELOW the horizon, as many degrees as you are south of the equator.
Polaris will be 23.5 degrees above the northern horizon when viewed from the Tropic of Cancer.
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.
On the horizon
You must be 20° above (north) the equator
it's 23 degrees below the horizon; you won't see it.
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.
66.5 degrees