Find Polaris and Estimate Your Latitude

Follow the two stars opposite the handle

Find the Big Dipper's bowl and identify the two stars along its outer edge, Merak and Dubhe. Follow the line from Merak through Dubhe and continue roughly five times their separation. That brings you near Polaris, at the end of the Little Dipper's handle. Use a chart to verify the pattern rather than picking the brightest star in the area. If the Big Dipper is hidden, the same chart can help you find Polaris directly.

Reference: NASA: How to Find the North Star

Look down from the star to the horizon

Polaris sits near the direction of Earth's north rotation axis. Most stars seem to sweep around that point as Earth turns. Project a vertical line down from Polaris to the horizon and you have an approximate true-north direction. A magnetic compass can point somewhere different because magnetic and geographic north are not the same. Polaris is close to the pole, not exactly on it.

Reference: NASA: How to Find the North Star

Use the angle above a level horizon

The north celestial pole's altitude equals your latitude in the Northern Hemisphere. At 25 degrees north, expect Polaris roughly 25 degrees above a level northern horizon, not directly overhead. The star's offset from the pole, atmospheric refraction near the horizon, and a sloping skyline all limit a rough measurement. A roofline or hilltop is not the geometric horizon.

Reference: NASA Goddard: Finding Latitude with the Pole Star

Try the observation where it makes sense

At low northern latitudes the star can be difficult to see through haze or obstructions. Well south of the equator, Polaris is below the horizon; use a southern sky chart rather than trying to force the same method. Compare a rough angle estimate with your known latitude and explain the mismatch. This is a geometry exercise, not a substitute for dependable navigation.