Polaris makes a little circle of about 1/3° radius around the celestial north pole
every day. But we don't notice that, and it appears to mark the pole itself.
So the altitude of Polaris is essentially equal to the observer's north latitude.
If he's standing 41° north of the equator, then he'll see Polaris at roughly 41°
above his northern horizon.
43 degrees because the altitude of polaris is equal to the latitude of utica.
If the altitude of Polaris is 43 degrees above the northern horizon, then the observer is located somewhere within roughly 1/2 degree of 43 degrees north latitude.
0 Degrees
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.
66.5 degrees
43 degrees
90 degrees
43 degrees
If you are at the North Pole, you'll see the star Polaris near the zenit (altitude almost 90 degrees).
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.
The altitude of Polaris is approximately 42 degrees above the horizon when observed from a location around 42 degrees latitude in the northern hemisphere. This means that at locations close to the 42nd parallel, such as parts of New York City or southern France, Polaris would have an altitude of around 42 degrees.
The altitude of Polaris and the latitude of an observer are directly related. The altitude of Polaris in the sky is approximately equal to the observer's latitude in the Northern Hemisphere. The higher the latitude, the higher Polaris will appear in the sky.