Finding the North Star
Where exactly is the North Star?
There's a simple method to locate Polaris, the North Star, and it actually works on any night, any time of the year. All you need to find is the Big Dipper, which is actually itself a smaller mini-constellation (or asterism) inside Ursa Major (“Great Bear”). In the summer months it’s located in the Western side of the sky after sunset.
Take the two stars at the front of the ladle, extend an imaginary line and see where it appears to intersect the handle of the Little Dipper. This will take you straight to Polaris, which is almost dead-centered on the true north pole, but more than enough to get you oriented at night.
Use the Big Dipper to lead you right to Polaris
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