Buddy Polaris (Pole Star; North Star)

I will be your guide in the night sky! I am a yellow supergiant...the brightest star in the constellation Ursa Minor (a/k/a Little Bear or Little Dipper).  Squeeze my foot and I light up! I am located almost directly above the Earth’s North Pole, so I am also called the Pole Star or the North Star. I do not appear to “rise” or “set” at night but seem almost motionless while the other stars of the northern sky appear to revolve around me. I'm only the 46th brightest star, so the best way to find me is to follow the "Pointer Stars in the Big Dipper, which will lead right to me. Once you locate me in the sky, walk toward me, and you will be heading north. I helped sailors and explorers find their way across the Atlantic Ocean into uncharted territory, and I will also keep you safe and headed in the right direction.    Because the Earth’s axis changes gradually over time, I wasn’t always the Pole Star, and in about 12,000 years, Vega, in the constellation Lyra, will become the new Pole S