Pole Star [The]

The Stillness of Polaris Some stars seem to rise and then eventually set at night, just like the Sun appears to do during the day. However, spend some time looking north towards Polaris and you will see that some stars neither rise nor set, they are always in the night sky. Instead they seem to do something else: rotate around Polaris the pole star.

The above is a time-lapse photograph looking north. The white streaks are the stars - seeming to rotate around the star Polaris, which is hidden artistically behind the tree.

Definition: [Ancient Astrological Concepts] [Astrological Viewpoints] The star that lies closest to the North Celestial Pole.

Further Information: Currently this star is Polaris. However because of the Movement of the Ages the pole star changes over the millennia.

Below is a table of stars closest to the North Celestial Pole over the last few thousand years and into the future.

There is currently no particular southern pole star.