ILLUSTRATION BY STUART FUNK
For the past few months, it’s been difficult to locate Polaris, otherwise known as the North Star, by relying on the pointer stars of the Big Dipper. That’s because the two stars at the end of the Big Dipper’s cup have been too close to the horizon in the early evening sky.
As twilight fades in February, the two stars will be positioned about 20 degrees above the horizon, allowing us to again easily extend a line from them toward Polaris for an easy and stunning reference north.
Each month, Rancho Mirage Library and Observatory astronomer Eric McLaughlin spotlights a notable celestial event. For information about the observatory, visit ranchomiragelibrary.org.
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