[Titanscape]

According to the Old Testament, the northern star is Heaven, and according to am NDE story, the Hellish place is near it.

What do we know about the northern star? Does it still fire on? Does it have planets? How far away is it? It is part of the milky way?

[RD]

which star is closest to the north pole varies ...

The precession of the Earth's axis has a number of observable effects. First, the positions of the south and north celestial poles appear to move in circles against the space-fixed backdrop of stars, completing one circuit in 25,772 Julian years (2000 rate). Thus, while today the star Polaris lies approximately at the north celestial pole, this will change over time, and other stars will become the "north star"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axial_precession_%28astronomy%29

[CliffordK]

According to the Old Testament, the northern star is Heaven, and according to am NDE story, the Hellish place is near it.

which star is closest to the north pole varies ...

The precession of the Earth's axis has a number of observable effects. First, the positions of the south and north celestial poles appear to move in circles against the space-fixed backdrop of stars, completing one circuit in 25,772 Julian years (2000 rate). Thus, while today the star Polaris lies approximately at the north celestial pole, this will change over time, and other stars will become the "north star"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axial_precession_%28astronomy%29

Does that mean that from time to time, Heaven and Hell are reversed as the Northern star changes to another nearby star?

As for as the other questions, yes, it is in the Milky-Way.  Yes, it does still exist (you can find the North Star by finding the Big Dipper, and sighting along the two furthest stars in the pan, and looking for the brightest star in that line.  That is assuming you are in the Northern Hemisphere.  Those living in the southern hemisphere wouldn't be able to see the northern star.

According to Wikipedia (above), it is not just one star, but actually several stars.  However, there is no mention of planets.

Polaris A is a supergiant star, which means that while it is larger than our sun, it will burn-out and explode as a supernova long before our sun eventually burns out.

If you could travel at the speed of light, it would take 434 years to get to Polaris.  At slower speeds, it would take much longer.  That also means that what we see there today is already 434 years old.

[widereader]

Speaking of Hell, hell is within the Earth.  That is what I learned in Sunday School.  However, after the Lord comes back, there will be a new heaven and a new earth.

[Titanscape]

What is this I hear of a hole in the universe in the region of the north star? There is the north of rotation and true north.

[imatfaal]

Nice answer Cliff - one quibble; Polaris Alpha is a bright giant of about 6 solar masses and will thus prob not go nova.  It is also the closest classic cepheid variable

[imatfaal]

titan - remember that polaris is only the north star through chance and earth's particular axis of rotation, tilt etc; it is not the north star in any cosmological way.  The difference between the north poles are earthly affairs - magnetic field v axis of spin etc.  BTW the canadian postal service have assigned a zip code for the north pole....

Canada Post has assigned postal code H0H 0H0

[Titanscape]

So the north star for the sun and Venus... are different?