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Earth and the Moon

Stargazing Basics

How is stargazing different depending on where you are in the world?

Different sets of stars are visible depending on your latitude—that is, how far north or south you are—on Earth. If you are close to the North Pole, for example, you will not be able to see celestial objects close to the South Pole, and vice versa. From each latitude, there is also a different set of stars that do not set below the western horizon and rise above the northern horizon each day; rather than rising and setting, these stars seem to circle around the pole, and are called circumpolar stars.



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