How Do you Find the North Star?

In times past, the North Star served to orient and guide navigators on ships and aircraft.  It was the way ancient seaman found their way around in the Northern hemisphere before even the invention of the compass.  Have you ever looked for it?  Do you know what to look for?  Many think it must be the brightest star in the sky, but it’s not.  In fact, it is kind of faint and really not that noticeable, unless you are looking for it.

There are two landmark constellations that serve as guideposts to Polaris (the North Star).  One is Cassiopeia, also known as “the chair of Cassiopeia” the other is Ursa Major or “the big dipper.”  If you look north and find these constellations Polaris will be between them, at the same elevation above the horizon as your latitude.  In the picture below the big dipper is on the lower left and the Chair of Cassiopeia is to the upper right.  The North Star would be the faint light half way between the two white stars.

Big Dipper and Cassiopeia

Cassiopeia and Ursa Major appear to orbit around the North Star and depending on the time of night, or time of year they may be above and below, or left and right of it.  So why is this important?  It isn’t!  I doubt very many use it as a central part of their lives anymore.  

But, on the other hand, it is a testament to what our lives are like.  In times past mariners and navigators staked their lives on finding and using this central reference.  It provided them the foundation from which to answer the questions; where am I, where am I going, and how do I get there?  In todays world we look for automated answers and guidance.  A great option as long as the computer is working.

Is the same thing true for our lives?  Do we have something we can anchor ourselves to?  Something to serve as a guide as we lead our lives and confront the challenges we face?  That is a question each must answer for themselves.  Will our guiding star always be there, or will we be in trouble when the power goes out?

I would suggest we spend a couple of minutes on a quiet night finding our North Star.