← Finding Your Way by the Stars · Lesson 1 of 3
The star that stays
As the night goes on, the stars wheel slowly round one point in the northern sky. Polaris, the North Star, sits less than a degree from that point, so it hardly moves.
Its height above the horizon tells you how far north you are. At the North Pole it is straight overhead (90 degrees); at the equator it sits on the horizon (0 degrees). Halfway between, at 45 degrees north, it is halfway up.
From south of the equator Polaris cannot be seen, and navigators there use other stars.
You measure Polaris at 40 degrees above the horizon. About how far north are you?
A lesson is kept once you've answered the question and written at least 8 words. Nobody grades it; it stays on this device.