An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

A star that would mark the south → celestial pole. Presently no bright visible star is situated along the → rotation axis of the Earth in the southern hemisphere. But, because of the Earth’s → axial precession, about 7,000 years from now the star → Delta Velorum in the constellation → Vela, the Sail, will come to within 0.2 degrees of the South Celestial Pole (around the year 9250 B.C.). That is closer to marking the celestial pole than → Polaris or → Sirius ever do during their reigns as pole stars!

 Sirius will become the South Pole Star some 60 thousand
 years from now (around the year 66270 B.C.). In that time, Sirius will
 come to within 1.6 degrees of the South Celestial Pole.

See also: → south; → celestial; → pole.