Astronomy and SpaceStars |
Was Polaris always the North Star? |
Earth has had several North Stars. Earth slowly wobbles on its axis as it spins. This motion is called precession. Earth traces a circle in the sky over a period of 26,000 years. In Pharaonic times the North Star was Thuban; today it is Polaris; around 14,000 C.E. it will be Vega.