Well this is embarrassing, but researchers using Russia’s 6-Meter Telescope have found that the North Star (Polaris) is actually much closer than we had previously thought. Originally it was believed that Polaris was approximately 434 light-years away from Earth but now it is believed that the star is more like 323 light-years away. That’s a big difference!
What makes this discovery even more significant is that we have been using our North Star to help us with measuring other distant objects in space, so now we may have to recalculate the actual distances of many other celestial objects. We have long used the North Star to aid in navigation as it never seems to move from it’s position in the sky. The main reason behind Polaris keeping it’s position is that it is aligned with Earth’s North axis.
Get more details on this new discovery at National Geographic News.