As you move south in the Northern Hemisphere, the altitude of Polaris decreases. Polaris, or the North Star, is located almost directly above the North Pole at an altitude of about 90 degrees. As you travel southward, its angle above the horizon diminishes, reaching zero degrees at the equator, where it is no longer visible.
As you move north in the northern hemisphere, the altitude of Polaris, also known as the North Star, increases. Polaris is situated almost directly above the North Pole, so its altitude corresponds closely to your latitude. At the North Pole, Polaris is at the zenith (90 degrees), while at the equator, it is on the horizon (0 degrees). Therefore, as you travel northward, you will see Polaris rising higher in the sky.
Polaris, also known as the North Star, is located almost directly above the North Pole, making it not visible from the Southern Hemisphere. Its altitude, or angular height above the horizon, corresponds to the observer's latitude in the Northern Hemisphere. Therefore, in the Southern Hemisphere, Polaris has an altitude of 0 degrees, meaning it is always below the horizon.
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.
The altitude of Polaris, also known as the North Star, is directly related to the observer's latitude in the Northern Hemisphere. Specifically, the altitude of Polaris above the horizon is approximately equal to the observer's latitude. For example, if an observer is at 40 degrees north latitude, Polaris will be about 40 degrees above the horizon. This relationship allows navigators to determine their latitude by measuring the angle of Polaris.
The angle of the altitude of Polaris is equal to the observer's latitude. However, this is only true if you are in the Northern Hemisphere. For example, at the North Pole it is directly overhead and at the equator it is on the horizon and at 45 degrees North it is 45 degrees above you.
If an observer in Pennsylvania measures the altitude of Polaris to be 40 degrees, they could be approximately 40 degrees north of the equator, which would imply a latitude close to 40 degrees north. This is because the altitude of Polaris above the horizon is equal to the observer's latitude in the Northern Hemisphere.
To determine the altitude of Polaris, you can measure the angle between the horizon and Polaris using a simple instrument like a protractor or sextant. The altitude of Polaris above the horizon corresponds closely to your latitude in the Northern Hemisphere; for example, if you measure Polaris at an angle of 40 degrees above the horizon, you are approximately at 40° latitude. This relationship occurs because Polaris is positioned nearly directly above the North Pole.
They are very nearly equal angles, within about 1/3 degree. (Note the accurate implication that Polaris is not visible from anywhere in the southern hemisphere.)
At the Tropic of Capricorn (approximately 23.5 degrees south latitude), Polaris, the North Star, is not visible and is located below the horizon. Polaris can only be seen in the Northern Hemisphere and its altitude above the horizon increases the further north you go.
At the Earth's equator, the altitude of Polaris (the North Star) is approximately 0 degrees. This means that Polaris is on the horizon when viewed from the equator, as it is positioned nearly directly above the North Pole. As one moves northward, the altitude of Polaris increases, reaching 90 degrees at the North Pole.
The altitude of the North Star, or Polaris, from Minneapolis is approximately 45 degrees above the northern horizon. This is because Polaris is located nearly directly above the North Pole, and its altitude in the sky corresponds closely to the observer's latitude. Minneapolis is situated at about 45 degrees north latitude, making Polaris appear roughly at this altitude.
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.