Guardians of the Pole
Kochab and Pherkad, the stars which mark the outer edge of the Little Dipper, are known as the Guardians since they circle Polaris.
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Photo by Rogelio Bernal Andreo (DeepSkyColors.com). Kochab is the brighter orange star in the upper right while Pherkad is the dimmer bluish star.
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Kochab, a second magnitude star with an orange hue, was once the North Star. Pherkad is an old Arabic name meaning, "The Dim One of the Two Calves." The Guardians were said to keep as close to the pole as a calf to its mother.
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Kochab and Pherkad
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The North Star: Polaris
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