The South Star is the star which is circumpolar to the South Pole (as Polaris, the North Star, is for the celestial North Pole), and can thus be reliably used for navigation. The present South Star is Sigma Octantis, which is very faint. As such, it is not as useful as Polaris Borealis for navigation. The constellation Crux, the Southern Cross, points towards the celestial south pole
See also
Last updated: 10-11-2005 06:00:00
