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The perception that stars are always in the same place is a result of the vast distances between celestial objects and the relatively short timescales of human observation. While it's true that the universe is expanding on large scales, this expansion primarily affects the space between galaxies, rather than individual stars within galaxies.

Stars are typically part of galaxies, and they are held together by gravitational forces within their respective galaxies. The gravitational pull between stars keeps them in relatively stable orbits around the center of their galaxy, and this gravitational interaction is much stronger than the effect of cosmic expansion on these small scales.

While individual stars within a galaxy may have their own motions, such as orbiting around the galactic center or moving in a spiral pattern, these motions occur within the overall structure of the galaxy itself. Therefore, from our perspective on Earth, the stars in our night sky generally appear to remain in the same positions relative to each other over relatively short timescales.

However, it's worth noting that over much longer timescales, the positions of stars and galaxies do change due to various factors. These include the gravitational interactions between galaxies, the motion of galaxies within galaxy clusters, and the overall expansion of the universe. But on human timescales, these changes are generally not noticeable without the aid of precise astronomical measurements.

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