Finding Polaris using the Big Dipper's pointer stars

Finding North

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   In star-finding practice, Ursa Major's pointer stars are extended outward from the bowl of the Big Dipper to land on Polaris, which sits within one degree of the north celestial pole. The technique works year-round from any location north of about 25 degrees north latitude, because both the Big Dipper and Polaris are circumpolar from those latitudes and never set. Once Polaris is identified, true north on the horizon lies directly below it. Magnetic-compass declination corrections are not needed: Polaris marks geographic north, not magnetic north.