All of these pole stars will eventually change as all planets experience precession, albeit at different rates. The north poles of a few planets are aligned toward stars within Draco the Dragon. Uranus, being inclined almost 90 degrees, has a pole oriented toward Orion's "head" region.ĭelta Cygni, a star in Cygnus the Swan, is Neptune's pole star Saturn NCP is not directed toward any prominent star presently Sadr and Deneb (the upper two stars marking the tip of the Northern Cross, an asterism within Cygnus the Swan) approximate the position of the North Celestial Pole for Mars
Omicron Draconis (a star in Draco the Dragon, a circumpolar constellation for us) is the north polar star on Mercury. However, because they are all more or less aligned similarly with Earth's pole (save Uranus, which rotates on its side) the other planet's north polar stars are likewise found in our northern celestial hemisphere.
Other planets are 'tilted' toward other directions in the sky. Our planet's pole just happens to be directed toward Polaris now. The alignment of the NCP with Polaris is just a 'chance' event. Presently, Polaris marks the general region of the North Celestial Pole for Earth. About 13,000 years from now, the NCP will point toward Vega, the brightest of the three "Summer Triangle" stars. For instance, 5000 years ago, the North Celestial Pole pointed toward Thuban, star within Draco the Dragon. Consequently, the North Celestial Pole position migrates through the sky. We wrote 'currently,' because the precession of the equinoxes causes Earth's pole to describe a 47-degree circle through space over an approximately 26,000-year period. Other planets have stars whose positions approximate their respective celestial poles, but Polaris is currently the "pole star" only for Earth.