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Southern Celestial Pole

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Constellation	Octans
Right Ascension	Not applicable
Declination	-90° 0' 0"
Optimum Visibility	Always visible from southern latitudes
Notes	Though there is currently no prominent equivalent of the North Star Polaris to mark the Southern Celestial Pole, the precession of the equinoxes means there will be bright southern pole stars in the far future. In approximately 14,000 years, Canopus will lie near the Southern Celestial Pole and, some 52,000 years afterward, the same role will be taken by Sirius, the brightest star in the sky.

An imaginary point in the southern sky that lies 90° south of the Celestial Equator, and can be considered as an extension of the Earth's south pole out into space. It is presently in the constellation Octans.

The sky around the Southern Celestial Pole is not rich in prominent stars. The brightest star in this image (to the northwest of centre) is Sigma Octantis, named Polaris Australis, the Southern Pole Star. At magnitude +5.44, however, it is barely visible to the naked eye, and rather less useful for navigation than its northern counterpart, Polaris. Imagery provided by Aladin sky atlas

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