The Precession of the Earth's Axis

 The Earth's axis rotates (precesses) just

as a spinning top does. The period of
precession is about 26,000 years.
 Therefore, the North Celestial Pole
will not always be point towards the
same starfield.
 Precession is caused by the
gravitational pull of the Sun and the
Moon on the Earth.

Hipparchus first estimated the precession of the Earth's axis around 130 B.C. The
period of precession is about 26,000 years.

While the Pole Star in the northern hemisphere is now Polaris, in 3000 B.C., the north
celestial pole coincided with Thuban, a star in the constellation of Draco. In 14,000
A.D. Vega, in Lyra, will be the northern pole star.
Earth's revolution around the Sun takes much longer than its rotation on its axis. One complete
revolution takes 365.25 days, or one year. The Earth revolves around the Sun because gravity
keeps it in a roughly circular orbit around the Sun. The Earth's orbital path is not a perfect circle, but
rather an ellipse, which means that it is like a slight oval in shape (Figure 24.10). This creates areas
where the Earth is sometimes farther away from the Sun than at other times. We are closer to the
Sun at perihelion (147 million kilometers) on about January 3rd and a little further from the Sun (152
million kilometers) at aphelion on July 4th. Students sometimes think our elliptical orbit causes
Earth's seasons, but this is not the case. If it were, then the Northern Hemisphere would experience
summer in January!

revolution
The Earth's movement around the Sun in an orbital path.
rotation
The motion of the Earth spinning on its axis.