North Star (Polaris) Sterling Silver Ring

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North Star (Polaris) Sterling Silver Ring

Origin: Thailand

Material: Sterling Silver (925)

Approximate Top Dimensions: 1.6cm x 1cm

Approximate Band Dimensions: 0.2cm

Weight: 2g

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10% of this purchase will be donated toĀ The Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Association (BANCA)

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In antiquity, Polaris was not yet the closest naked-eye star to the celestial pole, and the entire constellation ofĀ Ursa MinorĀ was used for navigation rather than any single star. Polaris moved close enough to the pole to be the closest naked-eye star, even though still at a distance of several degrees, in the early medieval period, and numerous names referring to this characteristic asĀ polar starĀ have been in use since the medieval period. In Old English, it was known asĀ scip-steorraĀ ("ship-star") In theĀ Old English rune poem, theĀ T-runeĀ is apparently associated with "a circumpolar constellation", or the planet Mars.

In the HinduĀ Puranas, it became personified under the nameĀ DhruvaĀ ("immovable, fixed"). In the later medieval period, it became associated with theĀ Marian titleĀ ofĀ Stella MarisĀ "Star of the Sea". An older English name, attested since the 14th century, isĀ lodestarĀ "guiding star", cognate with the Old NorseĀ leiĆ°arstjarna, Middle High GermanĀ leitsterne.

The ancient name of the constellation Ursa Minor,Ā CynosuraĀ (from the GreekĀ ĪŗĻ…Ī½ĻŒĻƒĪæĻ…ĻĪ±Ā "the dog's tail"), became associated with the pole star in particular by the early modern period. An explicit identification ofĀ Mary asĀ stella marisĀ with the polar star (Stella Polaris), as well as the use ofĀ CynosuraĀ as a name of the star, is evident in the titleĀ Cynosura seu Mariana Stella PolarisĀ (i.e. "Cynosure, or the Marian Polar Star"), a collection of Marian poetry published by Nicolaus Lucensis (Niccolo Barsotti de Lucca) in 1655.

Its name in traditional pre-Islamic Arab astronomy wasĀ al-JudayyĀ Ų§Ł„Ų¬ŲÆŁŠ ("the kid", in the sense of a juvenileĀ goatĀ ["le Chevreau"] in Description des Etoiles fixes), and that name was used inĀ medieval Islamic astronomyĀ as well. In those times, it was not yet as close to the north celestial pole as it is now, and used to rotate around the pole.

InĀ Inuit astronomy, Polaris is known asĀ Niqirtsuituq. It is depicted on theĀ flagĀ andĀ coat of armsĀ of theĀ CanadianĀ Inuit territory ofĀ Nunavut, as well as on theĀ flagĀ of theĀ U.S.Ā state ofĀ Alaska.

In traditionalĀ LakotaĀ star knowledge, Polaris is named "WičhĆ”ČŸpi owĆ”Å‹Å¾ila". This translates to "The Star that Sits Still". This name comes from aĀ LakotaĀ story in which he married Tapun San Win "Red Cheeked Woman". However she fell from the heavens, and in his grief he stared down from "waŋkĆ”tu" (the above land) forever.Ā 

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Color may vary in images and videos due to different lightings and angles.


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