During the night, our Earth rotates on its axis and causes the stationary stars to appear to wheel overhead.  In this 5^h40^m exposure from my front yard in Borrego Springs, California, the stars all appear to wheel around the north celestial pole.  Nearby, the bright star Polaris—the North Star—marks its approximate position.   The light of the first quarter moon illuminates the scene during the first two hours of the exposure shot on the night of April 24/25, 2007.