Final answer:
When viewed from above the North Pole, Earth rotates counterclockwise, or in a west-to-east direction. Polaris is currently near the point in the sky where Earth's axis points. Earth also exhibits precession, causing its axis to slowly wobble over a 26,000-year cycle.
Step-by-step explanation:
When viewed from above the North Pole, Earth rotates counterclockwise, or from west to east. This rotation is consistent with the way that most of the planets in the Solar System rotate and is observed by looking at the apparent motion of stars in the sky. For an observer standing on the North Pole, Polaris, the North Star, would be seen directly overhead, and the Earth's axis, an imaginary line connecting the North and South Poles, currently points close to it. As Earth rotates, the sky appears to revolve in the opposite direction around the celestial poles, which are the projection of Earth's axis into the night sky.
The rotation of Earth also explains why the celestial equator, the projection of Earth's equator into the sky, lies halfway between the celestial poles. Additionally, Earth's rotation has another slow motion known as precession, which causes its axis to wobble and trace out a cone in space over a period of about 26,000 years. This precession is due to the gravitational influences of the Sun and the Moon on Earth's slightly oblate shape.