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The poles of astronomical bodies are determined based on their axis of rotation in relation to the celestial poles of the celestial sphere. The International Astronomical Union defines the geographic north pole of a planet or other object in the solar system as the planetary pole that is in the same ecliptic hemisphere as the Earth's North Pole. More accurately, "The north pole is that pole of rotation that lies on the north side of the invariable plane of the solar system".[1] This definition means that an object's axial tilt is always 90° or less, but its rotation period may be negative (retrograde rotation) – in other words, it rotates clockwise when viewed from above its north pole, rather than the "normal" counterclockwise direction exhibited by the Earth. Another common definition uses the right-hand rule to define an object's north pole it is then the pole around which the object rotates counterclockwise.[2] With this definition, axial tilts may be greater than 90° but rotation periods are always positive. The projection of a planet's geographic north pole onto the celestial sphere gives its north celestial pole.
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