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Pole star

Adapted from Wikipedia · Explorer experience

Stunning photo of star trails forming circular patterns in the night sky over the Atacama Desert, showing how stars appear to move around the south pole point.

The Wonder of the Pole Star

A pole star is a very special star that stays almost still in the sky. It looks like it does not move, while other stars go around it. This happens because the star is very close to the point where Earth's axis touches the sky.

Our Helpful Stars

For Earth, we have two pole stars. In the north, we have a bright star called Polaris, also known as Alpha Ursae Minoris. It is easy to see and has helped people find their way for many years. In the south, there is a star called Polaris Australis or Sigma Octantis. This star is much dimmer and harder to see.

Stars That Change Over Time

The star that sits above Earth's North Pole changes over thousands of years. This is because Earth wobbles slowly, like a spinning top. Right now, Polaris is our North Star. But in the past, other stars like Thuban in the constellation Draco were the North Star. In the future, stars in constellations such as Cepheus, Cygnus, Lyra, and Hercules will take turns being the North Star.

A Star for Every Planet

Did you know that other planets also have their own pole stars? Each planet has a special star that looks closest to the point where its axis touches the sky. For example, Mercury has Omicron Draconis as its North Star, and Venus has Eta¹ Doradus. Even our Moon has its own pole stars!

Images

A beautiful night sky with star trails above Beccles, Norfolk, showcasing the movement of stars over time.
A simple guide to finding the North Star Polaris by using the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.
Animation showing how the north celestial pole moves among the stars over time due to Earth's axial precession.
Diagram showing the movement of the south celestial pole among the stars due to the Earth's axial precession.
Diagram showing how Earth's axial tilt and orbit path shift over long periods, causing cycles in the positions of stars and seasons.
A colorful educational montage showing the planets of our solar system: Mercury, Venus, Earth with its Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, each captured by NASA spacecraft.
An artist's rendering of HE 1523-0901, one of the oldest known stars in our galaxy, located about 7,500 light-years from Earth.

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Pole star, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Images from Wikimedia Commons. Tap any image to view credits and license.