Imagine yourself at the north pole in the middle of winter. No stars ever rise or set. Instead, they all seem to move around you in horizontal circles. Looking up at the whole sky, the north celestial pole (NCP) is directly overhead, at the zenith point. The celestial equator circles around the horizon.
Because it is mid-winter, the Sun is out of sight, south of the celestial equator. The long winter 'night' lasts for six months without day ever coming.
