The North Star

26 The North Star Every summer, I get a special treat. I visit Grandpa for two weeks. I always have fun and I always learn something new. My grandfather knows a lot about everything. One summer, he showed me how to make a fire without using matches. Another summer, he taught me the names of all the wild flowers. And this summer, he showed me how to find one special star. “ If you can find this star, " Grandpa said, “ you will always know your way around. " " What a great idea! " I thought. Maps and compasses can tell you which way to go and how to get there. But what happens if you're lost and you don't have a map or a compass? I was quite excited about it all. Grandfather got some books and pointed out all the major constellations. He explained how all the stars and planets in the sky change places throughout the night. They even change places in different seasons of the year. But there is one star that always sits in the sky at precisely the same spot, no matter what.

After reading about the Milky Way and learning a lot about the night sky, Grandfather said it was time to go out and take a look. The night was dark. The sky was lit up with millions of stars. Grandpa pointed to one group of stars called the Big Dipper. “ See it there, " said Grandpa. “ It looks like a dipper for drinking water. Follow a line from the edge of the dipper. It leads to the North Star. The North Star always points to the north. If you can find this star, you will always know where you are. You will never be lost. " It took a while to find it. But there it was-the North Star! Grandpa says it is always in the same place. My grandfather shows me the most wonderful things. Now I know how to find my way using only the stars as my guide.