Question

Where will the North Star be, relative to the celestial coordinates, 12,000 years from now?____

a. 23 1/2 degrees away from the pole, due to precession.
b. Several degrees from the North Pole 2 position, and Vega will be the North Star instead of Polaris.
c.Right where it is now; it isn't going anywhere.
d. None of these is correct.

Answer 1

In 12,000 years, Vega will be moving into the position of the North Star due to the precession of the equinoxes, and Polaris will be several degrees away from the north celestial pole.

Step-by-step explanation:

The North Star, Polaris, will not be in the same position relative to the celestial coordinates 12,000 years from now due to the precession of the equinoxes. Because of this precession, which causes Earth's axis to trace a circle every 26,000 years or so, different stars take their turn as the pole star. Currently, Polaris is near the north celestial pole but in 14,000 years, the star Vega will be closer to that position. This means that 12,000 years from now, Vega will be moving into the position of the North Star, and Polaris will be several degrees away from the north celestial pole. Therefore, the correct answer is b. Several degrees from the North Pole 2 position, and Vega will be the North Star instead of Polaris.