Preview — this is a sample dedication, shown so you can see what a dedicated star page looks like.
A dedicated star
Polaris
yellow-white · Ursa Minor · α UMi
Dedicated to
Maya
by Her sister, June · August 12, 2026
“You were born on the brightest night of my life. Whenever you feel small, remember: there is a star that has carried your name since before you could read it — and it is still up there, still burning, still yours.”
This dedication
- Dedicated to
- Maya
- Dedicated by
- Her sister, June
- Recorded
- August 12, 2026
- Held until
- August 12, 2027
When this dedication ends, Polaris becomes available again. Want it? Put the date in your calendar.
Polaris at a glance
- Constellation
- Ursa Minor
- Other name
- α UMi
- Catalogue number
- HIP 11767
- Distance
- ≈ 433 light-years
- Brightness
- Magnitude 1.98 naked-eye
- Star type
- F7 Ib
- Colour
- yellow-white
- Best seen from
- The far northern sky
- Right ascension
- 02h 31m 49s
- Declination
- +89° 15′ 51″
Coordinates are J2000 epoch, checkable against any astronomical source or planetarium app.
Why is Polaris special?
Find the North Star and you have found north — no compass, no map, no signal required. Runaways, sailors and desert travellers have trusted it with their lives.
Polaris is actually a triple star system, and its leading star is a Cepheid variable — a class of pulsing star astronomers use to measure the scale of the universe.
What does the name Polaris mean?
Polaris is simply Latin — stella polaris, “the pole star.” Its older names say more: Stella Maris, “star of the sea,” and Lodestar, the star that leads.
Where can you see Polaris?
It is a deep-northern star: easy from Europe, North America and northern Asia, but it never rises for observers south of about latitude 1°S.
Polaris belongs to Ursa Minor, where it is the brightest star.
Frequently asked questions about Polaris
- Is Polaris the brightest star?
- Polaris shines at magnitude 1.98 — visible to the naked eye on a clear night, one of the few thousand stars with an officially recognised name.
- How far away is Polaris?
- Polaris is approximately 433 light-years from Earth. The light reaching us tonight began its journey around 433 years ago.
- Which constellation contains Polaris?
- Polaris is the brightest star in Ursa Minor.
- Can everyone see Polaris?
- It is a deep-northern star: easy from Europe, North America and northern Asia, but it never rises for observers south of about latitude 1°S.
- Is dedicating Polaris an official astronomical renaming?
- No. Polaris keeps its internationally recognised astronomical name. An AsterNym dedication records your personal name and message in the AsterNym registry without changing the star's scientific identity.