No, Polaris would not be overhead if you were at the South Pole. The North Star -- Polaris -- is not visible from the Southern Hemisphere.
Well, isn't that a lovely thought! If Polaris is directly overhead, that means you are standing precisely at the North Pole on our beautiful planet Earth. How delightful it would be to look up and see the North Star shining down right above you in the vast night sky. Just picture it and let that feeling of wonder fill your heart.
They're called the celestial poles and they move over time (due to Earth's precession).If the axis of the Earth were extended into space, the North Pole would point almost exactly at the giant star appropriately called Polaris, in the tail of the Little Bear or handle of the Little Dipper. The South Pole doesn't have so convenient a marker; it would fall several degrees away from the long axis of a small bright asterism known as Crux, the Southern Cross. The nearest visible star to the south celestial pole is a very dim star called Sigma Octantis, and even it's not really all that close to the pole (about a degree away).By 4000 AD, the celestial south pole will be very near the significantly brighter (though, at about magnitude 4, still quite a bit dimmer than Polaris) Gamma Chameleontis. At that time the north celestial pole will be very close to Gamma Cephei, a magnitude 3.2 star (also dimmer than Polaris, which is magnitude 2).Unfortunately, between now and then, the celestial poles won't point to any stars in particular. By about 3000AD, there will be no notable stars very near either of them.
If you are facing Polaris, which is located near the North Celestial Pole, then the compass direction at your back would be south. Polaris is commonly used for navigation in the Northern Hemisphere, as it indicates true north. Therefore, standing with Polaris in front of you, you are oriented toward the north and facing away from the south.
You would be pretty darn close to the north pole. _______________________ Specifically, you would be within about 40 miles of the north pole. Polaris is about 2/3 of a degree away from being directly above the north pole.
The celestial pole is directly above Earth's geographic poles, so to place a celestial pole at your zenith you would need to be at either the North Pole or the South Pole. At these locations, the celestial pole would be directly overhead, making it appear as if the axis of Earth's rotation extended into the sky.
As you travel northward, the altitude of Polaris, or the North Star, increases. This is because Polaris is positioned almost directly above the North Pole, so at the North Pole, it is located directly overhead at an altitude of 90 degrees. Conversely, as you move south, the altitude of Polaris decreases.
If you were standing at Earth's North Pole, the North Star, also known as Polaris, would be located directly in the zenith, or straight overhead. This is because Polaris is situated very close to the celestial north pole in the night sky.
At the south pole.
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.
No. Polaris is located almost directly over the north pole and so is never visible in the southern hemisphere. There is no corresponding star for the south pole.
Yes. Polaris (The Pole Star) Is very nearly overhead at the North Pole. As the Earth turns on it's axis all the other starts appear to move overhead in an arc. As Polaris is near the centre of rotation, it only appears to move in a small circle.
180° north longitude
Well, isn't that a lovely thought! If Polaris is directly overhead, that means you are standing precisely at the North Pole on our beautiful planet Earth. How delightful it would be to look up and see the North Star shining down right above you in the vast night sky. Just picture it and let that feeling of wonder fill your heart.
At 41 degrees south latitude, Polaris, or the North Star, would be below the horizon and not visible. This is because Polaris is located near the North Celestial Pole, and its visibility is limited to the Northern Hemisphere. As you move further south, Polaris descends lower in the sky until it eventually disappears from view entirely.
No... Polaris is another name for the North star - which is only visible in the Northern hemisphere.
The asterism called the "Big Dipper" (which is the central part of the constellation named "Ursa Major") has two fairly prominent stars which act as a pointer to the north star Polaris. Polaris is a relatively dim and undistinguished star whose positioning almost directly above the north pole is very conveniently located in the sky.
They're called the celestial poles and they move over time (due to Earth's precession).If the axis of the Earth were extended into space, the North Pole would point almost exactly at the giant star appropriately called Polaris, in the tail of the Little Bear or handle of the Little Dipper. The South Pole doesn't have so convenient a marker; it would fall several degrees away from the long axis of a small bright asterism known as Crux, the Southern Cross. The nearest visible star to the south celestial pole is a very dim star called Sigma Octantis, and even it's not really all that close to the pole (about a degree away).By 4000 AD, the celestial south pole will be very near the significantly brighter (though, at about magnitude 4, still quite a bit dimmer than Polaris) Gamma Chameleontis. At that time the north celestial pole will be very close to Gamma Cephei, a magnitude 3.2 star (also dimmer than Polaris, which is magnitude 2).Unfortunately, between now and then, the celestial poles won't point to any stars in particular. By about 3000AD, there will be no notable stars very near either of them.