The life of the stars is not excessive. There is no idea how old it is, but if we go by the Sun and use it as a reference whose life expectancy is 10 billion years, who knows if the polar star has already lived a few million and is approaching its last glow and leave our sky without its beautiful light.
The Past of the Pole Star
The Pole Star is the closest star to the North Pole 4800 years ago, at that time it was part of Thuban (Star of the Dragon Constellation), with a magnitude of 3,6 and was located a short distance of just 10¨ from the North Pole. Today, the North Star has increased its distance to 50¨. Thuban was popular in China and Egypt, because ancient Chinese astronomers documented it in their diaries during the time of Emperor Huang Di, 2700 years BC. In addition, you can learn more about the meaning of the North Star, which has been fundamental in the history of astronomy.
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However, the Egyptians built the Pyramids more or less 50 centuries ago, and it is still unknown how they were actually built without advanced knowledge. Despite this, the North Star is aligned with the Pyramid; not all of them are oriented correctly; in fact, only a few of the more than 60 that exist. The pyramids of the pharaohs of the XNUMXth Dynasty in Dahshur and Giza are the best located, with errors that, in knowledge astronomical, are located around a quarter of a degree. To learn more about the historical context of these constructions, you can consult Mayan astronomy.
El night sky It is the most observed star from ancient times to the present day, the North Star remains fixed in the celestial vault, constantly pointing north. Today, the North Star is located in the northern hemisphere (α Ursae Minoris), the most radiant star in the Little Dipper. It is a gigantic yellow light at a distance of 431 light-years from Earth, with a vision 2440 times greater than that of the Sun and a frequency 45 times greater. To learn more about the Little Dipper, you can visit the constellations and their characteristics.
The North Star in its current position
The North Star today, has a magnitude 2, and is one of the brightest stars on the path it travels across the pole. This star has kept its name for over a thousand years, and will continue to keep it until around the year 3500, when the trajectory of polo will pass near a third magnitude star called Errai (γ Cephei). If you are interested in this star's relationship to others, you can read about the double stars.
As the years go by, specifically 6000 years, it will be between two stars third magnitude, Alfirk (β Cephei) and (ι Cephei); around the year 7400 it will be next to the bright first magnitude star, Sadr (γ Cygni), and then in the year 13600 the North Star will be the brightest star in the world. arctic sky of summer, Vega (α Lyrae), who will keep this primacy for at least three thousand years. This will be the polar star of future generations, as it was fourteen thousand years ago, in the ice age.
Polaris Palpitations
According to history, in the 19th century, doubts began to arise about the brightness of the North Star, which showed small, repeated alterations. At the beginning of the 20th century, it was confirmed that it belongs to the genus of Cepheids, stars that pulsate (contracting and expanding) with periods ranging from several days to several months. To learn more about these phenomena, you can see the article on star explosions.
Brightness Variation
Astronomers were amazed when in the early 90s, Polar beats They weakened, and the usual small variations in brightness began to disappear. It seemed as if the star was no longer a Cepheid. To learn more about this type of star, you can read about , which also includes interesting examples.
How to locate the North Star?
The Pole Star is the closest star to the Earth's axis in its South-North prolongation. Because it tells us true north And hence its great importance when it comes to finding our bearings. Also, if you'd like to learn more about the different constellations, visit this link to better understand how to navigate the sky.
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All stars except North Star are circumpolar, meaning they revolve around the Earth's axis, assuming their focus within it. Like the Sun, Jupiter, and the rest of the planets, stars move from east to west, taking 24 hours to complete a complete rotation. That's why when we observe this star at night, we can see how all the stars the constellations They circle around it as the hours pass, but the North Star always maintains its position. For more details on the visible constellations, you can consult the most famous constellations in the sky.
The Polar Star And Its Location From Earth
The North Star is one of the seven stars that make up the constellation Ursa Minor, being the brightest of these seven stars and located at their tail. It is the star visible only from the northern half of the Earth. In the southern hemisphere it is the southern cross constellation the one used for orientation. For more information on the characteristics of the constellations, check out the constellations and their names.
What is the utility of the North Star?
Well, the North Star shows us the north and is stationed less than one degree from true north. On the other hand, the height of this star It gives us an idea of what latitude we are at. For more information on the importance of stars, I recommend reading about the stars and their characteristics.
Now, if the spectator is in the middle of the earth, that is, in Ecuador lineThe North Star will be located on the horizon, and if we're looking from the North Pole, the North Star will be directly above us. If we descend in latitude from the North Pole, the North Star will also descend in altitude.
Like every human being, our best weapon is knowledge: knowing our latitude It is what leads us to the fact that it is the position and not the alignment that has been really important in the history of navigation until technology gave us a tool such as GPS. to locate via satellite, Previously, the compass and, of course, the sun and stars were the main way we oriented ourselves cardinally. If you'd like to delve deeper into the history of navigation, you can consult the real shape of the Earth.
Polar Star Characteristics
- Polaris (Polar Star) is a gigantic yellow star of spectral type that has F7Ib-II3 (Calcium, helium, hydrogen and metals).
- Located 431 light years from the Earth.
- Its axis is 45 times greater than the sun radio.
- Polaris forms a star system with two stars that are accompanied by (Polaris B and Polaris A).
- polar is the cepheid star, its cycle is only 3,9696 days and its brightness intensity during each period is minimal.
- At the beginning of the year 2000, the polar star regained its strength and the extent of the oscillations began to grow again.
Some scientists believe that when the radiation stored under the dark layer is released, and loses mass, since the layers could be moving synchronously: when the outer layers come together, the inner ones move out. However, it could be assumed that the star, in the long term, may cease to be what we know today; it could be a new beginning for it, since the layers move in the same orientation, which could be a sign that it is preparing to become a red giant. To see an example of these transformations, you can consult the article on .
