Stars that never rise or set are known as circumpolar stars. These stars are located near the celestial poles and have a special relationship with Earth’s rotation. Due to Earth’s tilt and the way it rotates, stars in certain regions of the sky are always above the horizon for observers at specific latitudes.
Here’s why it happens:
- The Earth rotates on its axis, and as it does, stars appear to move across the sky. The path that a star takes depends on your location on Earth.
- Stars near the celestial poles (the point in the sky that the Earth’s axis points to) appear to move in circular paths around these points. For people living at higher latitudes (closer to the poles), these stars never dip below the horizon.
- If you’re at the North Pole, the stars near the North Celestial Pole (such as the North Star, Polaris) appear to move in a circle around the sky without ever setting. Similarly, at the South Pole, stars near the South Celestial Pole would never set.
The further you are from the poles, the more stars will seem to rise and set, but stars near the poles will always be visible (never rise or set) as long as you are at a high enough latitude.