Polaris, designated Alpha Ursae Minoris (abbreviated Alpha UMi), commonly the North Star or Pole Star, is the brightest star in the constellation of U

---

Polaris, designated Alpha Ursae Minoris (abbreviated Alpha UMi), commonly the North Star or Pole Star, is the brightest star in the constellation of Ursa Minor. It is very close to the north celestial pole, making it the current northern pole star. Our best estimate of the distance of Polaris is about 433 light-years. Polaris is a multiple star. Polaris B has been discovered in 1779 by William Herschel. Polaris A is a double making for a 3-star system. This image was created from photographic material taken with the Oschin Telescope at Mount Palomar Observatory, forming part of the Digitized Sky Survey 2.

---

Size: 4176px × 4184px
Photo credit: © DAVIDE DE MARTIN/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: alpha, astronomical, astronomy, astrophysical, astrophysics, camera, evolution, minor, minoris, multiple, observatory, oschin, palomar, polaris, schmidt, space, star, telescope, umi, ursa, ursae