Polaris and Prehistoric Art

Northern sky rotates around Polaris, the North Star, as photographed in a long exposure image from prehistoric rock art site in the remote valley of Teimareh in central Iran. The valley is full of ancient petroglyphs, dating back to 4500 to 17000 years ago. With about 20,000 engraved images, the region is one of the world’s most diverse petroglyph sites, still largely undiscovered. Click on the second photo to see a short single-exposure image of this scene where Polaris and the constellation Ursa Minor (the Little Bear) appear in the sky.