Stars · Yellow supergiant
Polaris
433 light-years · Light crosses it in 2.9 minutes
- Across
- 52.2 million km
- Vs Earth
- 38× Sun
- Mass
- 5.4 Suns
About
Polaris sits almost exactly above Earth's north pole, so it barely moves while the sky turns around it — which made it the navigator's star for centuries. It is not especially bright; it is simply in the right place.
The North Star — it barely moves in the sky as Earth turns.
At a glance
| Distance | 433 light-years |
|---|---|
| Type | Yellow supergiant, pulsating |
| Brightness | 1,260 Suns |
| Companions | Two smaller stars |
Did you know
- It is a Cepheid variable: it swells and shrinks every four days, a type of star used to measure distances across the universe.
- Earth's axis wobbles over 26,000 years, so Polaris has not always been the pole star and will not stay one.
- It will be at its closest to true north around AD 2100.