Lodestar

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A lodestar is a star that is used to find direction, particularly with reference to Polaris. The name is derived from lodestone, part of a compass, which generally points toward a pole star. In a figurative sense, it can mean an example or guiding principle that people want to follow.

The lodestar is present on many of those flags of African nations that use the Pan-African colours. In this context, it represents the ideal of (African) freedom.

[edit] Other meanings

• Lodestar is an attorney's fee which is the product of the number of hours worked and the attorney's hourly rate. The lodestar is presumptively a reasonable fee, which a court may adjust accordingly.
• Lodestar (band) is a musical group.
• Lockheed Lodestar is an aircraft.
• LODESTAR Corporation produces software for the energy industry and is based in Peabody, MA.
• Lodestar Research Group is an Australian Hacking collective, producing technical articles and providing manuals to the public.
• CM Lodestar is an electric chain hoist used in the entertainment industry, made by Columbus McKinnon Corporation.
• Loadstar (spelled slightly differently from "lodestar") is a Commodore 64 disk magazine.
• Lodestar is a song by singer Sarah Harmer, on the album You Were Here
• LODESTAR is a quantum chemistry software package developed in Department of Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong.
• "Lodestar of the 21st century" is one of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's many honorary titles. It is only used in North Korean propaganda; outside sources refer to Kim Jong-il in more modest terms.
• Lodestar Astronomy Center ( http://www.lodestar.unm.edu )is the name of the planetarium and astronomy center in Albuquerque, NM.