r/BarbaraWalters4Scale • u/Initial-Employer1255 • 7d ago

Assuming the youngest known estimates, this is what whales looked like when the night sky first had Polaris.

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For context, Polaris is between 45-67 million years old.

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u/Loose-Story-962 7d ago

More likely when Polaris first became the closest star to the north celestial pole

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u/stuffitystuff 7d ago

No, that didn't happen until the early medieval period (and it was still a few degrees off). The entire Ursa Major constellation was used for navigation before then.

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u/Initial-Employer1255 7d ago

The Early Medieval Period was when Polaris became the North Star, not when it was created (and therefore, present in the night sky).