February 22, 2022
The axis of the Earth extends from the north pole and points almost directly at the North Star. This causes all the other stars in the night sky to appear to spin around the north star. However, if we were to travel to the southern hemisphere, there is no equivalent “South Star”. Earth’s axis extends from the south pole into a small area of space free of bright stars. The closest visible star is Polaris Australis, which hovers near the south celestial pole, but it is very dim and difficult to see even on a clear night.
This gif shows the procession of the night sky from the south pole. There is no bright star to use as a reference point as there is in the northern hemisphere with Polaris, or the North Star. Gif created using Stellarium
