The North Star is a very special star in the night sky! Its real name is Polaris. It stays in almost the same spot in the sky all night long while all the other stars seem to move around it. People have used it for hundreds of years to find their way.
You can find the North Star by using the Big Dipper! Look for the two stars at the front edge of the Big Dipper’s cup. Draw an imaginary line through them and keep going. The bright star you reach is Polaris, the North Star! It is at the very tip of the Little Dipper’s handle.
The North Star sits almost right above the North Pole of the Earth. That is why it barely moves while all the other stars spin around it in circles during the night. Long ago, sailors on ships looked at the North Star to know which way was north. This helped them find their way across the ocean even when there were no maps!
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