text: why doesn't it seem that stars move? we know that the moon moves around the earth. and that the earth moves around the sun. and that stars are pretty stationary. so why doesn't seem that stars rise and set like the sun? stars do move, as well as rise and set along the horizon just as the sun and moon do.  stars, just like objects in out solar system, orbit the center of their galaxies.  however, most stars are just too far away to tell any discernible movement from day to day.  as the earth rotates on its axis during the course of the night, stars will appear to rise and set on the horizon.  if you have a camera with the capability of a very long exposure, you take a picture of the sky over the course of a few hours.  when the picture is developed, you wont see just points of light, but rather streaks across the sky as the stars moved every so slightly. also, as the earth revolves around the run throughout the year, certain stars become visible and others not based on out position in the solar system.  some constellations can only be seen during the summer/winter since the earth is located on the opposite side of the sun during those times.