Raven watches the stars for one hour. "The Big Dipper moved!"
Rocket squints. "But that dim star did not move much. What do you notice?"
Nova spins slowly. "Hint: remember how Earth spins. Which star is near the middle?"
Earth spins, so the stars seem to move.
In the north, stars seem to circle around Polaris.
Polaris sits almost still in the middle.
It stays above north all night.
Face Polaris, and you face north.
Then east is to your right.
West is to your left.
| North Star fact | True or false? |
|---|---|
| Stars seem to circle around Polaris. | ? |
| Polaris zooms all over the sky. | ? |
| If you face Polaris, you face north. | ? |
| If you face north, east is on your right. | ? |
Some stars near Polaris never dip below the horizon.
They circle Polaris all night, every night.
These are called circumpolar stars.
The Big Dipper is circumpolar, so it never sets.
| Circle fact | True or false? |
|---|---|
| Circumpolar stars circle Polaris. | ? |
| The Big Dipper sets every night. | ? |
| Polaris stays above north all night. | ? |
Great thinking! Tomorrow we check north with a compass.