The brightest star in Ursa Minor; at the end of the handle of the little dipper; the northern axis of the earth points toward it; Also called: North Star, polar star, polestar.
Or Pole Star or North Star; The bright star closest to the north celestial pole, and the brightest star in the constellation Ursa Minor. Its position is indicated by the “pointers” in Ursa Major. Polaris is a yellow supergiant about 500 light years away.
It currently lies within 1ş of the north celestial pole; precession (Earth’s axial wobble) will bring Polaris closest to the celestial pole (less than 0.5ş away) about AD 2100. It is also known as Alpha Ursae Minoris.