Spinning stars

Looking at images like this, it's easy to imagine that it is the stars that move to create these mesmerising trails. However, it is actually the Earth's rotation that leads to their apparent motion in the night sky. 

This shot, taken from ESO's La Silla Observatory, shows the celestial south pole just to the right of centre — the point around which the stars appear to spin. In the foreground are ExTrA and BlackGEM.