What is the polestar of Mars?

[Bynaus]

Of course, you would expect that the polestar of Mars is not the same as the polestar of the Earth, Polaris. But which star is it? Is there a martian polestar at all?

I tried to determine it roughly with Celestia, it seems like it could be some star of the constellation Cepheus. Does anyone have exact data on the direction of the martian rotation axis? It would be quite interesting to know if future Mars-visitors will be able to navigate during the martian night using a polestar...

EDIT: I just found an answer in a german bulletin board saying its Mu Cephei (also called the Garnet Star). Can anyone confirm that?

[aurora]

Wouldn't Mars potentially have two polestars? :p

[grant hutchison]

The Explanatory supplement to the astronomical almanac gives the right ascension and declination of Mars' north pole as 21h11m and 52.87o. That's in Cygnus, just south of Cepheus, about midway between μ Cephei and Deneb. The nearest bright(ish) stars look to be π1 Cygni and 63 Cygni.

Grant Hutchison

[Doodler]

Wouldn't Mars potentially have two polestars? :p

Or none.

[Bynaus]

@Grant Hutchison: Thank you very much, that was very helpfull. And yes, @aurora, I guess I am a northern hemisphere chauvinist... ;) But to make you happy: the southern polestar of mars would lie somewhere between lambda and xi velorum. :)

[umop ap!sdn]

Views of Mars' north (http://www.eknent.com/etc/mars_np.png) and south (http://www.eknent.com/etc/mars_sp.png) poles. HD20443 would be the closest to a north star (89°28') and HD79071 a south (89°12'). Neither would be useful for naked-eye navigation, unfortunately.