Do the moon and the stars move in the sky at the polar night in Antarctica? Or do they stay in the same places in the sky?
Only a star that is directly over the North pole (Polaris always north) or South pole seems to be stationary. It is the rotation of earth that makes it look like the others are making a circle around earth every24 hours.
During the polar night in Antarctica, which occurs during the winter months, the Sun remains below the horizon for an extended period, resulting in continuous darkness for weeks or even months. While the Sun is absent from the sky, both the Moon and the stars are indeed visible. However, their movement in the sky is slightly different compared to other latitudes.
To understand their motion, it's important to consider the Earth's rotation. The Earth rotates on its axis from west to east, completing one full rotation in approximately 24 hours. As a result, the Moon and the stars appear to move across the sky throughout the night, albeit at different speeds.
From any specific location on Earth, the Moon's position in the sky changes noticeably over the course of a few hours. It moves roughly 12 degrees across the sky per day, completing one full orbit around the Earth in about 29.5 days. Therefore, even during the polar night in Antarctica, the Moon will still appear to shift its position on a nightly basis.
Similarly, the stars visible from Antarctica will also appear to move across the sky due to Earth's rotation. Although some stars in the night sky are circumpolar, meaning they never dip below the horizon at that specific latitude, they still appear to rotate around the celestial pole throughout the night. Other stars that are not circumpolar will rise and set like they do at other latitudes, but the duration of their appearance above the horizon will vary depending on the specific time of year.
So, in summary, during the polar night in Antarctica, the Moon and the stars do move in the sky, although their apparent motion might be slower or more subtle compared to other latitudes due to the prolonged darkness and the Earth's rotation.