ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Poles of astronomical bodies

Okay kiddo, let me explain to you what poles of astronomical bodies mean in the simplest way possible.

Have you ever seen a ball or a globe? You know how it spins around its center, right? Well, planets and other celestial bodies are just like that, but they spin around an imaginary line called the axis.

Now, imagine drawing a line right through the center of the planet, from the top to the bottom. That line is called the planet's axis of rotation. The two points where this line comes out of the planet are called the poles. The North Pole is the one at the top and the South Pole is at the bottom.

For example, Earth has two poles; the North Pole up in the Arctic and the South Pole down in Antarctica. These poles are very important for Earth's climate, the way it spins, and how it moves around the sun.

The poles of other planets and celestial bodies are also important. For instance, the poles of Jupiter have many storms and complex weather patterns. And, there is even an asteroid called Ceres that has ice at its poles.

So, that's what poles of astronomical bodies mean, it's just the two points where the imaginary axis comes out of the planet. Pretty cool, right?
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