Why Do Stars Appear to Move in the Night Sky?

-- | February 21, 2015

Question: Why do the stars in the sky appear to orbit? — Ariana

Answer: I think that you are asking why stars appear to move through the night sky from east to west in tracks that appear to be centered on the North Star. These apparent star tracks are in fact not due to the stars moving, but to the rotational motion of the Earth. As the Earth rotates with an axis that is pointed in the direction of the North Star, stars appear to move from east to west in the sky.

Jeff Mangum

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