Your at the equator if you see Polaris at the horizon
Your at the equator if you see Polaris at the horizon
Where on Earth are you if Polaris is on your horizon?
On the horizon
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.
As seen from Lima, Peru, Polaris is always about 12 degrees below the point on the horizon due north of the observer. So it is never visible.
Equator
Polaris will be 23.5 degrees above the northern horizon when viewed from the Tropic of Cancer.
It would be 41 degrees above the horizon, directly north of you.
If you are right at the Equator, you will not be able to see Polaris. If you could, it would be right on the horizon, but ground haze and obstructions would almost certainly hide it from view.
Seattle's latitude is about 47.6 degrees North. So the altitude of Polaris above the northern horizon is always within about 1/3 degree of that angle as seen from there.
The angle of Polaris above the horizon is the same as the latitude from which you are trying to measure it. Hollywood Florida has a latitude of ~26 degrees, so Polaris is 26 degrees above the northern horizon.
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.