The pole star is located over a northern point of the horizon in the Northern hemisphere. It allows to use it for definition of the sides of the horizon. If you appeared in the unfamiliar area without compass, the ability to find the Pole star will help you to be guided by areas correctly.
Instruction
1. In cloudless clear night look at the sky and try to find the bright constellation by the form reminding a big ladle. This characteristic configuration from seven bright stars is known as the constellation of Big Dipper. Four stars make ladle "handle", and three more arrangement remind the ladle representing a parallelogram. The majority of the stars making a ladle have gloss of the second star size and only one (Megrets) — the third.
2. Mentally allocate two stars of a parallelogram located on the party opposite to ladle "handle". These are stars Dubkhe and Merak (respectively "alpha" and "beta" of the constellation of Big Dipper); they form a wall of a ladle and long since are called "Indexes". Draw through them slightly curved line up.
3. On the mental line passing through Merak and Dubkhe postpone five times the piece equal to distance between these two stars. The end of such piece will be approximately in the location of the Pole star.
4. To check correctness of finding of the Pole star, it is necessary to know that it serves as a final point of the handle of a small ladle – constellations of Little Dipper. The pole star practically does not change the arrangement in the sky, that is is not mobile at daily rotation of Earth. Other stars making a ladle of Little Dipper turn concerning this point.
5. Having found the Pole star, you can not only learn where there is a North, but also quite precisely to establish the geographic latitude of the place in which you are. For this purpose take a protractor and a plumb (a thread with a small weight) which fix in the center of a protractor.
6. Now guide the protractor basis at the Pole star. From a corner between the basis of the device and a plumb take away 90 degrees. The result will be equal to a corner between a star and the horizon. As the Pole star by only one degree is rejected from a world pole axis, the corner found you between a star and the horizon and will be the geographic latitude of this area.