---------------------------------------
                  | Chart of Big Dipper and Little Dipper |
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|                                            Big Dipper                       |
|                                                          * Merak            |
|                                                 *                           |
|                                            Dubhe                            |
|                                                                             |
|    Little Dipper                                                            |
|                                                               Phad          |
|                                                                *            |
|       + Celestial North Pole                                                |
|     *  Polaris                                            *                 |
|                                                      Megrez                 |
|                                                                             |
|       *                                                                     |
|                                                                             |
|                                                            * Alioth         |
|                                                                             |
|          *                                                                  |
|                .           Kochab                                           |
|                 *       *                                                   |
|                                                      Alcor.* Mizar          |
|                                                                             |
|                *                                                            |
|                         * Pherkad                                           |
|                                                                 * Alkaid    |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     The + marks the spot where the Earth's celestial North Pole.  That is
where the spot would be if an imaginary line could be drawn from the Earth's
North Pole straight up to the celestial globe.  Notice that Polaris is only
44' of arc, or less than 1/2 degree from the actual pole.
     In a couple of hundred years Polaris will cease to be the pole star as
precession of the equinoxes will rotate the pole away from it sufficiently
so as not be be of visual use.
     It is easy to find the direction of true north.  Just draw an imaginary
line between Merak and Dubhe of the Big Dipper and extend it about five times
the distance between them to Polaris.  Polaris is the brightest star in that
vicinity although not as bright as Merak and Dubhe.
     Keep looking up and keep the stars in your eyes.