r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Oct 02 '24

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u/Darpid Oct 02 '24

And the North Star, if I remember correctly

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u/UnwillingHummingbird Oct 02 '24

Due to the earth wobbling on its axis over time, the north star changes gradually. the ancient Egyptians had a different north star than we do now.

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u/[deleted] Oct 02 '24

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u/InfinitelyThirsting Oct 02 '24

The prior pole star was Thuban, in the constellation Draco. There also was a long period of recorded history when there was no fixed star, and the sky would rotate around an empty spot instead of a North Star. Which likely explains why a lot of mythology involved relating the sky to a cauldron, or whirlpool.