The north star

1. The north star The North Star, or pole star, is a star called Polaris. You can find it by locating the Big Dipper, and looking for the two stars on the far side of the 'dipper'. The line these two stars make points upwards to a single star, which is the North Star Polaris. The big dipper is part of the constellation Ursa Major, which to many cultures looked like a large bear.

2. The Big Dipper-Asterism (Smaller recognizable star patterns within a larger constellation

3. Ursa Major-Constellation

4. Equinox • Equinox- is a day when the hours of daylight and the hours of night are of equal length • The spring equinox occurs on March 21st • The autumn equinox occurs about September 22.

5. Solstices in northern hemisphere • Summer solstice – occurs near June 21 and marks the longest period of daylight in the year. It represents the start of summer • Winter solstice- occurs near December 21 and marks the shortest day of the year. It represents the start of winter • In the southern hemisphere, the solstices are reversed.

6. Solstice and Equinox