A view of the giant orange star Kochab, from the point of view of two hypothetical bodies in close orbit. Three thousand years ago, this star marked Earth's Northern Celestial Pole, but shifts in the planet's position have seen the Pole move away from Kochab and towards Polaris.

The second brightest star in Ursa Minor is an orange giant lying just over one hundred light years from Earth's Solar System.

Like all the stars of Ursa Minor, orange Kochab lies close to the Northern Celestial Pole.

The Galactic position and direction of Kochab relative to Earth's Sun. Note that, at this extreme scale, the two stars are effectively in the same place.

The giant orange star Kochab is one of the two Guardians of the Pole. The other, far more distant Guardian star Pherkad is just visible in the background of this image.