{"id":213700,"date":"2022-10-06T02:56:55","date_gmt":"2022-10-06T00:56:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/osr.org\/?p=213700"},"modified":"2024-02-20T17:48:53","modified_gmt":"2024-02-20T15:48:53","slug":"how-to-find-the-north-star-in-the-uk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osr.org\/en-uk\/blog\/astronomy-uk\/how-to-find-the-north-star-in-the-uk\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Find the North Star in the UK"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><span style=\"color: #15acdf;\">What is the North Star?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The North Star is so named because it maintains a steady position one degree from the north <a href=\"https:\/\/astronomy.swin.edu.au\/cosmos\/c\/Celestial+Poles\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">celestial pole<\/a>, making it a reliable guide for finding true north. It isn\u2019t the brightest object in the night sky; it has only around the 50<sup>th<\/sup> highest magnitude on an average night. However, the star has a relatively motionless position that raises it above its more restless cosmic siblings when it comes to navigational aids. This stillness also makes Polaris an excellent target when photographing star trails, as all other stars will be seen to rotate around it.<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #15acdf;\">How to Find the North Star in the UK with the Plough<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>We know what makes Polaris the friend of sailors and shutterbugs alike. But without being able to locate it, we can\u2019t put any of its benefits to good use. Fortunately, knowing how to find the North Star in the UK is an easy task that starts with part of the Ursa Major constellation known as the Plough. The Plough features two \u2018pointer\u2019 stars, Merak and Dubhe, which you can find at the bottom of the asterism. Starting with Merak, draw an imaginary line (or use a stick) to guide your way up towards Dubhe. Continue your line through and beyond Dubhe and keep moving upwards in the same direction. The next relatively bright star that you come to is Polaris &#8211; it\u2019s that easy! From here, you can find any direction you need; look right for the east, left for the west, and south is, of course, behind you.<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #15acdf;\">Modern Methods to Find Our Old Friend<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>With the invention of maps, compasses, and GPS, we don\u2019t need to rely on old navigation techniques as much as our ancestors did. It\u2019s comforting to know that, in an emergency, we can easily find the way with the help of our northern friend. But with an iOS or Android smartphone, the easiest way to find the North Star, and any other star, is with the <a href=\"https:\/\/osr.org\/en-uk\/blog\/osrguide\/star-finder-app\/\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">OSR Star Finder App.<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a class=\"button button-orange medium arrow\" href=\"https:\/\/osr.org\/en-uk\/#vys-2?currency=GBP\" rel=\"noopener\">Download the OSR Star Finder App<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is the North Star? The North Star is so named because it maintains a steady position one degree from the north celestial pole, making it a reliable guide for finding true north. It isn\u2019t the brightest object in the night sky; it has only around the 50th highest magnitude on an average night. However, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":50,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1375],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Find the North Star in the UK - Online Star Register<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In this quick and easy guide, we&#039;ll help you learn how to find the North Star in the UK and unlock its potential as a navigation tool\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/osr.org\/en-uk\/blog\/astronomy-uk\/how-to-find-the-north-star-in-the-uk\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Find the North Star in the UK - 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