... When Vega is North . ... Dark Sky Alqueva Explanation: In only about 12,000 years Vega will be the North Star, the closest bright star to our fair planet's North Celestial Pole . ... Of course, presently the bright star conveniently near the North Celestial Pole is Polaris , but that will change as the Earth's axis of rotation precesses , like the wobble of a spinning top with a precession period of about 26,000 years . ... Publications with keywords: Vega - north pole - north star . ...