Crux

Crux, commonly known as the Southern Cross, is a constellation that can be seen by people in the Southern Hemisphere. Its four brightest stars are in the shape of a cross. The name Crux is the Latin word for a cross. It is a small constellation, but the four main stars are bright, so the cross shape is easily seen in the sky. Each of the four stars has an apparent visual magnitude brighter than +2.8. The four stars point approximately in the directions of north, south, east and west.

Crux was first described by the Italian navigator Andrea Corsali in 1515. In the past, sailors used Crux to help with navigating across oceans.

The Southern Cross is used as a symbol in many Southern Hemisphere countries and states. It appears on the flags of Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Samoa.

It was used on the flag flown by miners in Ballarat, Victoria, during the 1854 rebellion known as the Eureka Stockade. The flag has been used as a symbol of protest in Australia since then.

Related pages
 Northern Cross

References

Category:Constellations
Category:National symbols
Category:Crux
Category:National symbols of Australia
Category:National symbols of Brazil
Category:National symbols of New Zealand
Category:National symbols of Papua New Guinea
Category:National symbols of Samoa
Category:Southern constellations
Category:Heraldic charges
Category:Constellations listed by Petrus Plancius
Category:Australia