How to spot Vega, the North Star of the future

The heavens wheel above us, but at least we can rely on the North Star, aka Polaris, to provide eternal stability, right? Afraid not, says Abigail Beall

By Abigail Beall

ONE of the most iconic stars in the northern hemisphere is Polaris, also known as the North Star. If you can spot this star, you will always know which direction is north, because it is a steady point of light in a changing sky. No matter where you are in the northern hemisphere, it will never move. Or will it?

The North Star hasn’t always been, and won’t always be, Polaris. At the moment, it is our North Star because of the tilt of Earth: the north pole faces the same direction in space – towards Polaris – even as Earth moves around the sun …