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They may appear to be still but stars are in constant motion

The illusion of a still sky only exists because the distances between us and the stars are so vast that their movements are imperceptible to human eyes.

For thousands of years, humanity looked up at the night sky and saw a realm of permanence.

The constellations seemed eternal, locked into a celestial sphere that rotated predictably above the Earth. Ancient astronomers charted these fixed stars with the naked eye, mapping out a static universe.

They may appear to be still but stars are in constant motion Back to video

We now know that the sky is anything but static. The stars are in constant motion, rushing through the darkness at incredible speeds. The illusion of a still sky only exists because the distances between us and the stars are so vast that their movements are imperceptible to human eyes.

To reveal this hidden dynamism, astronomers rely on astrometry, the science of precisely measuring the positions and movements of celestial bodies.

Astrometry is one of the oldest branches of astronomy, dating back to pioneers like Hipparchus and Ptolemy who created the first star catalogues.

For centuries,........

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