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
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.
If Polaris cannot be seen because it is just below the horizon, you would be located at a latitude slightly south of the North Pole, specifically at a latitude near 89 degrees north. At this position, Polaris would be too low on the horizon to be visible. As you move further south, Polaris becomes visible again as you approach the latitude where it appears above the horizon.
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.
The altitude of Polaris at the equator is 0 degrees. This means that Polaris is directly on the horizon and not visible at all from the equator. Polaris can only be seen in the northern hemisphere at latitudes above 23.5 degrees.
If Polaris cannot be seen because it is just below the horizon, you must be located at a latitude slightly south of the North Star's position, which is approximately 90 degrees north. Specifically, you would be at a latitude of about 89 degrees south or lower, as Polaris is only visible in the Northern Hemisphere. In this situation, you would be too far south to see Polaris above the horizon.
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.
At 40 degrees latitude, Polaris, also known as the North Star, will appear approximately 40 degrees above the northern horizon. This is because the angle of Polaris above the horizon corresponds closely to the observer's latitude in the Northern Hemisphere. Therefore, if you are at 40 degrees north latitude, Polaris will be positioned directly overhead at the North Pole and will gradually lower to the horizon as you move south, reaching 0 degrees at the equator.
No. Polaris cannot be seen at any point (0.5 degrees) south of the equator.
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.
Also known as the North Star, Polaris, is located within one degree of the north celestial pole - the point of Earth's axis of rotation. This means that the Earth's (geographic) north pole is pointing almost exactly to the point in the sky where Polaris is located. For this reason, Polaris can be seen by anyone in the northern hemisphere throughout the year.