Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. An award-winning reporter writing about stargazing and the night sky. Can you find the so-called “North Star” or “Pole Star?” ...

The North Star is the brightest in the night sky, right? It’s actually only the 48th brightest! The brightest is Sirius, the “Dog Star,” which is visible in the southwest come dark this month. It will ...

The North Star has guided navigators for centuries, but scientists have only now noticed that it has a strange spotted surface. The star has been discovered to be covered in light and dark blotches ...

The North Star seems to be glued to the same spot in the northern sky every night, while all the other stars wheel around it. It’s been the ultimate celestial landmark for centuries, but what’s ...

Earth wobbles on its axis like a spinning top, a motion called precession. This wobble takes about 26,000 years to complete one full circle. Different stars have served as the North Star throughout ...