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Looking north on any clear night you will see the five principal constellations that surround the North Celestial Pole. At different times of year they will appear at different orientations. The most obvious signpost is the saucepan shape of the Plough, the seven brightest stars in the Great Bear. If you follow the line of the end two stars (the "pointers") you will come to Polaris, the Pole Star or North Star. This relatively bright star is close to the North Celestial Pole and over the course of the night all the stars appear to wheel about this axis in an anti-clockwise sense. Polaris is the tail of the Little Bear, but this looks more like a soup ladle! On the other side of Polaris you will find a distinctive "W" or "M" shape that marks the Queen of the Night, Cassiopeia. Her hen-pecked husband, Cepheus is close by, although much fainter. Finally, snaking his way around the Pole is Draco the Dragon. |
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