Located about 434 light-years from Earth, Polaris lies nearly in a direct line with the axis of the Earth's rotation ‘above’ the North Pole (the North Celestial Pole). Polaris stands almost motionless in the sky and all the stars of the Northern sky appear to rotate around it. Therefore, it makes an excellent fixed point from which to draw measurements for celestial navigation and for astrometry. The movement of Polaris towards (and in the future away from) the celestial pole is due to the precession of the equinoxes. The celestial pole will move away from Polaris after the 21st century

‘Slumber, watcher, till the spheres,
Six and twenty thousand years
Have revolv'd, and I return
To the spot where now I burn.
Other stars anon shall rise
To the axis of the skies;
Stars that soothe and stars that bless
With a sweet forgetfulness:
Only when my round is o'er
Shall the past disturb thy door.’

H. P. Lovecraft ~ Polaris