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The position of the North Star will change over time Navigation will be weird when Polaris stops being the North Star in about 13,000 years. In case you didn't know, Earth's axis goes through a motion called "precession" which means that the planet's axis will change, and trace out the shape of a cone--even if it's slightly. When this occurs, it takes around 26,000 years for the axis to trace out a complete cone shape. To add to this, Polaris, the Earth's current "North Star" will eventually begin to shift positions as the Earth undergoes precession. In 3,000 B.C., it's believed that the North Star was the star Thuban, otherwise known as Alpha Draconis. In about 13,000 years, the star Vega will be the new North Star -- but in 26,000 years, Polaris will return in its original position as the Earth continues to go through precession.