But that was more than enough for the night sky to appear different to the Babylonians than it did to the ancient Greeks and different again for us.Įverything we can see prominently in the Southern Hemisphere is close to the Southern Celestial Pole, the imaginary point you would reach in the sky were you to draw a straight line up from the South Pole. The change is minuscule enough that it will take over a millennium to notice a difference. This is known as the precession of the equinoxes. The Earth’s axis wobbles, causing a slow shift in the visibility of the constellations from different points on the planet over time. But to the Ancient Greeks naming it, Centaurus would have been far more prominent, until the Earth’s movement placed it farther below the horizon. This constellation is now quite hard to spot from the Northern Hemisphere, and in most places, you cannot see it at all. The specific mythological centaur this constellation is meant to represent is unknown, but many suggest Chiron (the guy who trained Hercules). Alpha Centauri is the brightest star and the left foot in Centaurus. The constellation Sagittarius depicts a skilled archer who also happens to be a centaur-half-human and half-horse. One such asterism has even gained the name “False Cross” for catching so many stargazers out, partly due to creating a larger cross than the true one. Although this cross is pretty obvious once you have located it, things can get confusing when you stare up into a vast field of dots-there are many crosses. Make a line from Alpha to Beta, and you will guide your eyes straight to it. Jointly, Alpha and Beta Centauri create the “pointer stars,” as they can lead, or “point,” you to the Southern Cross. When looking out at the stars, it is easy to forget they exist in this 3-D space above us, not tacked onto a 2-D sheet. So although it sits much farther back in the sky, it appears only a little dimmer. Beta Centauri is simply much bigger and brighter. Alpha Centauri is far closer to us here on Earth than it is to Beta Centauri, which is 348.83 light-years from us. First of all, it is not actually a neighbor. Though quite literally outshone by its neighbor, the bright star sitting just by Alpha Centauri is worth considering, too. Photo credit: Skatebiker at English Wikipedia
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For example, in New Zealand’s Maori culture, interpretations include an anchor or the stopper of the hole from which storm winds blew.
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However, many cultures already present in the Southern Hemisphere perceived it differently. The constellation has a distinct cross shape formed by four stars, although depictions frequently include a (smaller) fifth bright star, Epsilon Crucis.Ĭrux was named by Western explorers, who, being Christian, likened the shape to the crucifix and designated it as a southern feature. It appears on the flags of Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Papua New Guinea, and Samoa. The Southern Cross, officially known as Crux, is the smallest of the 88 recognized constellations and still one of the best-known. There is a lot of space in the Southern Hemisphere.
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Think isolated islands . . . well, pretty much all over. All you need is a clear night away from a city. Some stars, constellations, and even galaxies remain hidden from the sight of stargazers in the Northern Hemisphere, and their stories are unknown.Įven better, many of these southern sights can be viewed without a telescope. With only 12 percent of the world’s population living south of the Equator, the jewels in the southern night sky can stay half-secret.