Polaris, the North star, sits near the North Celestial Pole (NCP) and, consequently, is roughly stationary over the course of a night. For an observer in Eugene, OR (longitude=123^o W, latitude=44^o N), the sky in the northern direction at 20:00 (8 pm) in mid-January looks roughly like,







Polaris is the end star in the handle of the Little Dipper (Ursa Minor). The two bowl stars of the Big Dipper (Ursa Major) point toward Polaris.