... Bad Astronomy . ... Bad Astronomy: The North Star, Polaris, is a very bright star. Good Astronomy: Polaris is a middling-bright star, easily missed. ... He said it was close to Polaris, the North Star, but he also said it was in the East. ... It's natural, I suppose, to think that such an important star should be bright, but really, that's a conceit, like thinking that the Earth is at the center of the Universe. If more people knew just why Polaris is the North Star, this Bad Idea would stop. ...