Which direction is the north celestial pole from the Earth?
The north celestial pole lies directly over the north geographic pole of Earth. Currently this direction points close to the moderately bright star Polaris (the north or “Pole” star). But, this was not always so, and will not be so forever. Because the axis of rotation of Earth wobbles (precesses) over time (much like the rotational axis of a toy top, especially as it slows down) the direction the pole points changes with time. Over about a 26,000 year period it wobbles once, and at one point will point close to the first magnitude star Vega. Precession also causes the equinoxes and solstices to change with time. It also affects climate, because eventually northern hemisphere winter will fall when Earth is furthest from the sun rather than closest as it does now. This will have an effect on weather patterns, because the northern hemisphere is the “Land” hemisphere of Earth, and land heats and cools at different rates compared to the ocean.
