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Circumpolar Stars

The disk of stars, centered at the pole, that never rise or set and consequently are visible all night, every night of the year. In Seattle, the end of the handle of the Big Dipper (Alkaid) and the bright star Capella in Auriga, opposite it across the pole, represent the approximate extent of the circumpolar stars for this latitude. In Hawaii, the Big Dipper swings below the horizon, but the Little Dipper remains circumpolar.


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