North Star Research Paper

People thought that the north star was the brightest star in the universe. When we had slavery the slaves would follow the north star which was quite noticeable, considering people thought it was the brightest. Although, people may have gotten the North Star confused with other stars, people still believed it was the brightest. People believed that the north star was the brightest star because they got it confused with the dog star, (Alpha Canis Majoris). Stars have different magnitudes, so if the north star had a magnitude of below -1 it would be brightest then a star with a magnitude of above 0. This could also be a reason people confused the North Star with the dog star. Around 2004 astronomers found a LBV 1806-20, which they believed was the brightest star, this took there mind off of Polaris (North Star) being the brightest star. This star is approximately 5-40 million times as bright as the sun. Astronomers estimated that this star was more than a million times the mass of the sun, but since this star is so bright is will burn out quickly within a million years.

It helped many slaves escape, The North Star is found across from the two other stars called dubhe and merak that make up the big dipper. Many people got the North star confused with different stars which may have been a reason why they believed it was the brightest star. The dog star which is also known as Alpha Canis Majoris is one of the few stars people got confused with the North Star. In 2004 astronomers found a star (LBV 1806-20) that was 5-40 million times as big as the sun. After people discovered this star it took there attention of Polari which they believed was the brightest