We all love Christmas! Right from the Christmas tree to the lights, from the gifts to cookies and cakes, we love it all. Every single year, we wait for the celebration season to begin, a time when the whole family gathers together for the long holidays that are mostly spent, sipping hot chocolate and talking about the whole world and listening to Christmas stories about the birth of Lord Jesus and the Three kings who followed the star of Bethlehem to reach to the king of Jews.
Over the years, we have heard many Christmas stories and its fascinating how much we loved them, year after year, without getting bored of them. But, while we were all engrossed in listening about the birth of Christ, very few actually focused about the North Star or the Star of Bethlehem. So, here is your chance to know more about the shining star of Bethlehem.
THE NORTH STAR OR THE STAR OF BETHLEHEM
Unlike many other stories and their characters, the North Star truly does exist and it helps guide ships sail to the right path. The North Star is also known as the Polaris, and points specifically to the North. The star remains constant and doesn’t move from its place in the sky. This was probably the main reason of how the three mighty kings followed the brightest star in the sky (Polaris) to find their path towards Bethlehem, to meet the God of Jews, Lord Jesus. The Polaris may not be brightest star in the sky, but it is its position that makes the star stands out from the rest of the stars in the dark sky.
Here are 4 interesting facts about the Polaris or the North Star as you may call it.
– THE POLARIS IS A STAR LOCATED NEAR THE NORTH CELESTIAL POLE
The North Star or the Polaris, as it is commonly called is a supergiant yellow-white star that is located almost 430 light years far away from the earth, in the Ursa Minor Constellation. The star has a 1.97 magnitude, making it one of the brightest stars in the sky. To be exact, it is the 48th brightest star in the whole wide sky. All you need is a Big Dipper to locate the star across the sky. It is called the North Star mostly because it is located just one degree away from the axis of the North Pole.
– HELPS MEASURE LATITUDE
When you look up in the sky, the North Star looks right overhead near the North Pole. However, when you move towards it and the closer you get towards it, you can feel the North star move further into the horizon before disappearing from the view completely. Based on the location of the polaris, sailors would predict the latitude of their location during their journey on sea.
For Instance, location of the Polaris star in London would be 51° further away from the horizon, while at Venice, the position of the Polaris would be 45° away from the Horizon
– IT WILL NOT STAY AS A POLE STAR FOREVER
Stars always change their position over a time period. For Thuban in 3000 BC, which was just a part of the Constellation, the North Star was located just too close by the north pole and didn’t get to its current position also until the 5th or the 6th century.
– ALMOST 2,500 TIME MORE BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN
Polaris is at a distance of 430 light years away and has more than 2,500 times light as compared to the sun. It is a great way of navigation for the sailor and the heavenly bodies to move across the sky.
