what is the meaning of the northern star
Polaris is also known as Lodestar , Guiding Star , or North Star from its property of remaining in a fixed position throughout the course of the night and its use in celestial navigation . It is a dependable indicator of the direction toward the geographic north pole , although not exact ; it is virtually fixed , and its angle of elevation can also be used to determine latitude . The south celestial pole lacks a bright star like Polaris to mark its position . At present , the naked - eye star nearest to the celestial south pole is the faint Sigma Octantis , which is sometimes called the South Star .