Maricopa County Library District: The Cosmic Dance Around the North Star

You’ve probably heard that the North Star guides navigators during the night. But here’s what you might not know: Polaris is just the anchor point for an entire celestial clock that’s been ticking overhead for thousands of years.

Around that single star, whole constellations wheel through the night, becoming the original timekeepers and compasses for cultures across the Northern Hemisphere. And here’s the kicker: Polaris won’t always be our North Star. Earth wobbles on its axis like a spinning top winding down, and over the centuries, different stars take turns pointing the way north.

Join us as we explore this cosmic dance and discover this extraordinary piece of the night sky.