A sequence of stars used at one time to define the standards for measuring
stellarmagnitudes. The
stars selected for the sequence - about one hundred in all - lie within two degrees of
the Northern Celestial Pole. This means that they are always visible
to any observer in Earth's northern
hemisphere.
The stars within two degrees of the Northern Celestial Pole. The bright object to the southeast of the reticule in this image is Polaris, the Pole Star, currently lying some 38 arcminutes from the pole and shining at a magnitude of +2.00. Imagery provided by Aladin sky atlas
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