New celestial navigators on the horizon: The 26,000-year journey of Earths changing North Star

For millennia, Polaris has served as a steadfast beacon for navigators and adventurers in the northern hemisphere, earning it the moniker of the illustrious North Star. Its importance stems from its position close to Earth’s north rotational axis, around which the entire sky seems to revolve. However, this has not always been the scenario, nor will it remain so indefinitely. The planet experiences a gradual axial wobble known as precession, causing the pole to trace a circular path roughly every 26,000 years and bringing various stars into prominence throughout history.

The Evolution of the North Star Due to Earth’s 26,000-Year Axial Precession

According to NASA, the gravitational pull from the sun and moon influences Earth’s rotation, resulting in an equatorial bulge and axial precession. This wobble, which completes a full cycle approximately every 26,000 years, causes the celestial pole to shift its orientation, pointing at different stars over time. Approximately 4,700 years ago, Thuban in the Draco constellation was the star closest to the celestial pole. Stars like Kochab and Pherkad were nearest to the pole around 3,000 years ago. Currently, Polaris holds this title, but its reign is limited.

Eventually, the Earth’s axis will again alter, highlighting new stars. In roughly 2,200 years, Errai from the constellation Cepheus will take over as the North Star. Alderamin, also in Cepheus, will follow about 5,000 years later. Deneb is expected to approach the pole again around 9,800 CE, and Vega, which was formerly the pole star, will re-emerge in about 12,000 years, completing this cyclical journey.
Many of these stars belong to well-known constellations, including Cepheus, Draco, and Ursa Minor. Contemporary stargazing applications featuring augmented reality for navigating the night sky enable amateur astronomers to pinpoint their locations.

While Polaris continues to twinkle in the night sky, its position is only a temporary state. The consistent 26,000-year precessional cycle of Earth ensures that other stars will ultimately succeed it, illustrating that change is a constant factor even in the cosmos.