We never see the moon next to Polaris because Polaris is near the north celestial pole, with a very high declination close to +90 degrees, while the moon's orbit is inclined about 5 degrees to the ecliptic, which lies far from Polaris. Specifically, Polaris' ecliptic latitude is about +66 degrees, much higher than the moon's path. The moon only passes through regions near the ecliptic (within about ±6 degrees), so it never comes close to Polaris in the sky.
Why Polaris and the Moon Don't Appear Close
- Polaris is almost fixed in the sky near the north celestial pole due to Earth's axis of rotation.
- The moon orbits the Earth near the ecliptic plane, which is about 23.5 degrees inclined from the celestial equator and far from Polaris's position.
- This geometric difference means the moon's path never crosses close enough to appear near Polaris from Earth's perspective.
Celestial Coordinates and Paths
- Polaris's declination is about +89.3 degrees, nearly aligned with Earth's rotational axis.
- The moon's declination varies roughly between +28.5 to -28.5 degrees along the ecliptic path.
- Because of this large spatial separation between the moon's path and the north celestial pole, they are never seen near each other in the night sky.
In summary, the moon and Polaris occupy very different regions in the sky due to the moon's orbit along the ecliptic, which stays far from Polaris near the north celestial pole, preventing them from appearing close together.
