Yes they are, and science journalist Trudy E. Bell discovered that there is a simple way to demonstrate this, if you have the stomach for it.
First, find a playground equipped with a standard Merry-Go-Round (MGR) located under or near a large, leafy tree.
Seat yourself near the middle of the MGR platform.
Ask a local playground expert (KID) to get you spinning very, very fast.
As the scenery flashes by at a dizzying rate, point your camera skyward and take a picture with a slow shutter speed setting.
The result will be similar to this excellent image of concentric, arcing leaf trails centered at a point corresponding to the MGR's axis of rotation - a convincing imitation of circumpolar star trails recorded in hours-long exposures of planet Earth's night sky.
