If an imaginary line is drawn from the North Pole into space, it will reach a star called Polaris, or the North Star, less than one degree away from the line. As Earth rotates on its axis, Polaris acts as a pivot-point around which all the stars visible in the Northern Hemisphere appear to move, while Polaris itself remains motionless. Identifying Polaris was important for navigation since in locating Polaris it was possible to identify north. In addition, the angle of Polaris above the horizon indicates latitude on Earth.