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celestial pole
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Long-exposure photo of northern star trails forming circular patterns around the North Star above a silhouetted tree at night. Star trails over banksia trees, in Gippsland, Vic., Austl. The south celestial pole, located in the constellation Octans, is at the centre of the trails. Celestial coordinates seen by an observer in mid-northern latitudes. His celestial meridian is a great circle passing through his zenith and the poles. His astronomical horizon meets the celestial sphere at infinity. north celestial and ecliptic poles
Earth's celestial sphere: Stars, planets, and other heavenly bodies
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celestial pole

astronomy
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Long-exposure photo of northern star trails forming circular patterns around the North Star above a silhouetted tree at night.
Star trails Star trails centred on the north celestial pole, located near the star Polaris in the constellation Ursa Minor.

The celestial pole is a point in the sky around which the stars appear to rotate daily. This apparent motion is due to Earth's rotation on its axis. The celestial sphere is a conceptual model of the sky, appearing as a hemisphere to an observer. Projections of Earth's poles and equator onto this sphere create the celestial poles and celestial equator.12

Due to the precession of the equinoxes, a slow wobble in Earth's axis, the celestial poles gradually shift their position over thousands of years. This means that different stars serve as the "pole star" over long periods. Currently, Polaris is the North Star, but in about 12,000 years, Vega will be the closest bright star to the north celestial pole. There isn't a bright star near the south celestial pole.23

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4 Britannica Sources
  1. astronomical map - The celestial sphere
  2. celestial pole
  3. precession of the equinoxes
  4. polestar

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