Precession

Precession is like a spinning top. You see, when you spin a top, it rotates on its axis, and sometimes it can wobble or move in a different direction. This is what precession means - a twisting or changing motion of direction.

Now, precession also happens in space. Imagine the Earth is a giant top, spinning around its axis like a regular top. But because of the gravity of the Sun and the Moon, the Earth's axis wobbles or twists a little, causing it to move in a different direction over time. This is called precession.

So, just like a top, the Earth's spin axis moves in a circle, but this circle changes its direction over time, taking about 26,000 years to complete one full circle. This means that in a very long time, the North Star we see in the night sky won't always be Polaris - it will eventually change because of this precession.

Precession is important because it affects Earth's climate, weather patterns, and even the positions of the constellations in the night sky. Scientists study precession to understand how the Earth's spinning and the gravity of the Sun and Moon affect our planet over long periods of time.