Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW J'ville planner at 'flash point' turns in resignation ... Concern about violence leads Ashland synagogues to use video systems ... Former Klamath deputy sentenced to 7 years for sex crimes ... J'ville planner at 'flash point' turns in resignation ... Concern about violence leads Ashland synagogues to use video systems ... Former Klamath deputy sentenced to 7 years for sex crimes ... Looking Up: The North Star — for now Comment By Peter Becker More Content Now MailTribune.com By Peter Becker More Content Now Posted Oct. 24, 2014 at 12:01 AM By Peter Becker More Content Now Posted Oct. 24, 2014 at 12:01 AM » Social News To find the North Star, look due north (opposite where the sun is at noon time), and look not quite half way up in the sky (assuming you live at about 42 degrees North Latitude). On a late October evening, you will see the familiar Big Dipper riding low in the north. The two stars in the front of the Dipper’s “bowl” appear to point right at the North Star. Polaris just happens to lay very close to the North Celestial Pole, making it seem to be a pivot for the rest of the sky to circle around. It wasn’t always so. The Earth’s axis of rotation has an extremely slow wobble, making a circle on the sky every 25,800 years. An immense amount of time by human standards, it makes a difference only when looking back or forwards at least hundreds of years. The Earth’s axis changes where it is pointing in a circle 47 degrees wide. If you go back 3,000 years, the North Celestial Pole lay very near the star Thuban in the constellation Draco the Dragon. Thuban is easily seen though a bit dimmer than today’s North Star. Thuban was the north star when the Egyptians were building the pyramids, and in fact built the pyramids to align with Thuban. Through the ages the North Celestial Pole spends great lengths no where close to any star easily visible to the unaided eyes. We are fortunate to live in an age when we do have a bright star to mark the north. In the past 500 years, when seafarers were exploring the globe, Polaris was reasonably near the North Celestial Pole, just in time to aid their navigation when mankind needed it the most. The slow wobble of the Earth’s axis is caused by gravitational tugs from the Sun and Moon, pulling on the Earth’s uneven shape (it is a bit wider at the equator). The wobble, known as the “Precession of the Equinoxes,” was first realized by ancient Greek astronomer Hipparchus, around 130 B.C. The same situation happens “Down Under” as well. Southern hemisphere residents, however, do not have a bright “South Star” during this epoch. The closest naked eye star to the South Celestial Pole is Sigma Octantis. This star is magnitude 5-1/2, just visible without optical aid, in a dark sky. Polaris is 2nd magnitude. Knowing where the North Star is can be useful even today. One time the writer was driving home to Honesdale, Pennsylvania, on back roads in the middle of the night. He somehow took a wrong turn and after some time suddenly realized it when he saw the North Star and the Big Dipper straight ahead. Honesdale lay in the south. He immediately turned the car around and thanks to knowing the constellations, kept heading south till he came to useful road signs and familiar landmarks. Today’s vehicles sometimes have GPS receivers, giving you directions by satellite. They may be useful on cloudy nights, but never forget our legacy with the heavens above. First-quarter moon is on Oct. 30. Keep looking up! By Peter Becker More Content Now MailTribune.com By Peter Becker More Content Now Posted Oct. 24, 2014 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501