The Australian Flag Home > ANBG > Australian Flag The Australian Flag The Australian Flag came into being after the the federation of the Australian States into the Commonwealth of Australian on 1 January, 1901. The Commonwealth Blue Ensign was selected a a result of a public competition (over 30 000 designs were submitted); although selected in 1901 and gazetted in 1903, it was not given Royal assent and adopted as the definitive Australian flag until 1954 in the Flags Act 1953 (Act No. 1 of 1954)! It is based on the Blue Ensign of the United Kingdom, is twice as long as it is wide, and consists of a dark blue field that can be notionally divided into four quadrants. There is a different motif in each of the upper and lower hoist quadrants and the remaining two quadrants of the fly share another different constellation motif. The present Australian flag can be considered to consist of three main elements: The Union Jack in the upper hoist quadrant or first quarter (also know as the Canton), denoting Australia's historical links with Great Britain.

The Union Jack itself is composed of red and white intersecting and overlayed vertical and diagonal crosses on a blue background, The Southern Cross in the second quarter (also known as the top or head) and fourth quarter. Consists of five stars in a more or less kite-like pattern - Alpha Crucis (7-point), Beta Crucis (7-point), Gamma Crucis (7-point), Delta Crucis (7-point) and the smaller Epsilon Crucis (5-point). The outer diameter of each of the 4 major stars is 1/7 the width of the fly and the inner diameter is 4/9 outer diameter; the diameter of Epsilon Crucis is 1/12 the width of the fly and the inner diameter is 4/9 the outer diameter. The constellation of the Southern Cross is a significant navigational feature of the southern hemisphere, strongly places Australia geographically and has been associated with the continent since its earliest days, The Commonwealth Star or Star of Federation, central in the third quarter or lower hoist, has seven points to denote the six states and the combined territories of the Commonwealth. The seventh point was added in 1909.

The outer diameter is 3/5 the width of the Union Jack (3/10 the width of the fly) and the inner diameter is 4/9 the outer diameter. Other Australian Ensigns The Australian Army is represented by and protector of the Australian National Flag. In addition to the the Commonwealth Ensign, there are three other official Australian ensigns: The Australian Red Ensign - Merchant Navy, as for the Australian flag, but with a red field with white stars. Proclaimed in the Flags Act 1953. Covers Australian registered ships under section 30 of the Shipping Registration Act 1981. The Australian White Ensign - Royal Australian Navy - as for the Australian flag but with a white field and dark blue stars. Gazetted in 1967. The Sky-blue Ensign - Royal Australian Air Force - as for the Australian flag but with a pale blue field, the southern cross rotated clockwise c. 20 degrees and the blue roundel with white inner and red kangaroo of the Royal Australian Air Force in the lower fly. Gazetted in 1982.

Flags Similar to the Australian Flag Several nations and territories have flags with similar appearance to the Australian National Flag, reflecting either a common British colonial history or previous association with Austrlaia. Most notable is the New Zealand National Flag, a Blue Ensign with a Southern Cross of four red stars. State and Territory Flags Each of the six states of Australia has its own Official State Flag consisting of a Blue Ensign defaced with the badge or heraldic device of the state concerned; the heraldic devices are those represented in the Commonwealth Arms . The flags of the Australian territories and of more individual nature and are not based on the Blue Ensign. Other "Australian" Flags The Queen's Personal Flag for Australia This flag is for the Queen's personal use when in Australia and was approved by her in 1962. It is based on the Australian Commonwealth Arms in the form of a banner n the ratio 31:22 of the Arms in rectangular form with the Ermine border, superimposed with a large gold 7-pointed star at the centre, the star bearing a blue roundel with the gold initial 'E', the Royal Crown and a circle of gold roses.

It is use in the same manner as the Royal Standard in the United Kingdon, to denote the monach's presence. The Governor General's Flag This flag was gazetted for the personal use of the Queen's representative in Australia in 1936. It is a royal blue, twice as long as wide. It bears the Royal Crest in gold ('on a St Edward's Crown a Lion statant guardant also crowned') beneath which is a gold scroll with the words 'COMMONWEALTH of AUSTRALIA' in dark blue letters. It is flown continuously whenever the Govenor General is in residence and on vehicles in which he (or she?) is travelling. The "Eureka Flag" This is a famous but unofficial Australian flag, that features a white vertical cross on a blue background five whsite, blue-margined, 8-pointed stars superimposed at the end of each arm of the cross and at the intersection of the arms, a stylized Southern Cross. First used in Victoria in 1854 by a group of rebellious gold-miners protesting the cost of prospecting licences at the 'Eureka stockade', this flag has become the symbol of Australians prepared to fight to defend rights and liberties.

It has been adopted as a symbol by some of the more militant trade unions and has also been used as symbol of the republican movement. The Republican Movement Associated with recent republican activities in Australian there have been several campaigns to find a new Australian flag and other icons that reflect the 'true Australian identity'. The Eureka flag has been suggested as a suitable replacement for the current Australian flag. One proposal includes a flag with a blue field with a central enlarged Southern Cross. This issue of a new Australian Flag has created a great deal of spirited debate. The Flag of Aboriginal Australia This flag was adopted as the symbol of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people when it was first flown in 1971. It is a strident 3-colour flag composed of a large central yellow circle imposed on a background of a red lower half and a black upper half; the black represents the Aboriginal people, the yellow the sun as a life force, the red the earth and the blood of the Aboriginal people. It has no official government standing but is becoming widely recognized and acknowledged by the community and is perhaps the only symbol commonly accepted by the diversity of Aboriginal people. 1.

– Southern Cross – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand Interpretations of the Southern Cross The Southern Cross constellation is one of the striking features of the southern hemisphere sky. It is one of the first star patterns that New Zealand children learn to recognise. The 16th-century European navigators who sailed into southern seas perceived it as a symbol of their Christian faith. The Southern Cross is evocative of place or origin to many peoples, appearing on national flags, company logos and memorials in New Zealand and elsewhere in the southern hemisphere. Flags that fly the Southern Cross Depicted either as four or five stars, the Southern Cross features on the national flags of New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, Papua New Guinea and Samoa. It also appears on the Australian flags of Victoria, Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory, and on the flag of Chile’s Magallanes region. The flag of the Southern Common Market, the South American trading bloc of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, also depicts the constellation. Patriotism When New Zealand soldiers sailed off to to fight in South Africa at the beginning of the 20th century, they were singing: ‘We are the boys of the Southern Cross, our stars shine on our flags’.

Over a century later the constellation continues to be relevant to nationhood and national honour. It is depicted on the New Zealand Tomb of the Unknown Warrior, unveiled in 2004. Featured on the lid of the tomb, the stars are seen to have guided the warrior back to New Zealand from distant battlefields. The Southern Cross as a name It pays to be specific when using the term Southern Cross in New Zealand, for apart from its astronomical association, the name has been used for planes, boats, newspapers, and numerous commercial ventures. The first aeroplane to cross the Tasman Sea, in September 1928, was the Southern Cross, a three-engine Fokker, flown by Charles Kingsford Smith and C. T. P. Ulm. A number of ships have been named Southern Cross, but perhaps the most famous was the Shaw Savill passenger liner that brought assisted immigrants from Great Britain to New Zealand in the mid-1950s and 1960s. Two national newspapers have been published under the name: a successful paper from colonial days, which merged with the New Zealand Herald in 1876; and a short-lived Labour Party daily (1946–51).

Appearance Once visible to ancient Greek astronomers, the stars of the Southern Cross disappeared from their view due to the rotating earth wobbling like a top (precessing). Although the Southern Cross is the smallest of the 88 official constellations, it has achieved prominence from its value as a navigational aid. It is visible throughout the year in southern skies. The four brightest stars form a distinctive cross with a long axis and a short crossbar. A fifth star, located just below the crossbar, is often included in depictions of the constellation. This star is fainter than the others and not always visible. On clear nights, away from city lights, those with good eyesight should be able to see 34 stars in the Southern Cross. A telescope reveals thousands more. Māori interpretations There are different traditional interpretations of the Southern Cross in New Zealand, and it is known by at least eight different names in Māori. Tainui Māori saw it as an anchor, named Te Punga, of a great sky canoe, while to Wairarapa Māori it was Māhutonga – an aperture in Te Ikaroa (the Milky Way) through which storm winds escaped.

Crux – The Southern Cross | Shoalhaven Astronomers Amateur astronomers from Shoalhaven Australia Crux CRUX, The Southern Cross. This constellation is familiar to most Australians because of its presence on the Australian flag. Found high in our southern sky it is the smallest of the constellations. Some of the most stunning objects to observe here in the southern hemisphere are in this region. Crux was part of Centaurus until late in the 16th century when navigators of the southern seas mapped it separately. Alpha and Beta Centauri the front legs of Centaurus the Centaur (which surrounds Crux on three sides) point the way to the Southern Cross. The Southern Cross played an important role in navigation for early explorers. It can be used to get a rough position of the South Celestial Pole by drawing a line joining Gamma Crucis (γ) to Acrux (alpha crucis) (α) and extending it 4 ½ times. You will end up in a position near the South Celestial Pole. Another method is to find the bright star Achernar in Eridanus, the South Celestial Pole is approximately half way between there and Crux.

The World’s first astronomers the Australian Aborigines included these stars in their legends, which gave them a level of confidence about the place of human beings in the universe. They used the stars to predict and explain natural occurrences in our universe. By watching the nightly movement of the stars and the gradual annual shift of the constellations they created a calendar based on the position of constellations in the sky. Crux appears as a cross or kite shape in the southern sky and is one of the easiest constellations to find having 6 main stars. Acrux ( a), the brightest (0.8mag) at the foot of the cross is a bluish white pair mags 1.3 and 1.7, 4.4 arc seconds apart. It is easily separated with a 75mm telescope at high magnification. I can split them without difficulty at 86 x magnification with my 5 inch (128 mm) refractor. The brightest of the pair is also a double but difficult to separate in small telescopes. Beta Cru (b), Mimosa mag 1.2 is a brilliant blue white giant marking the end of the eastern limb of Crux.

A crimson-red carbon star, EsB 365 mag 8.6 lies 2’.4 in pa 260° in the same field. Centre beta in your field of view and the carbon star is easily located at approximately 9 0’clock as a bright red pinpoint star. If you have difficulty seeing this, look slightly away so your vision is averted as your peripheral vision is more sensitive to faint objects. In your telescope, 86 x magnification should distinguish it clearly. Gamma Cru (g) marks the head of the cross, this 1.6mag red giant has an unrelated 6.5mag companion. Delta Cru (d) mag 2.8 a fainter blue white giant marks the western arm of the Cross. Epsilon southeast of delta when Crux is upright in the sky, is a mag 3.6 orange giant star.

Mu Crucis (m) 5° anti-clockwise from gamma Cru, is a double star easily located with binoculars being a wide bright-white pair of mag 4.3 and 5.5 The pointers in the constellation Centaurus: alpha Centauri known as Rigel Kentarus (furthest from the cross) is the 3rd brightest star in the sky. –0.27 mag. Observed in small scopes as a yellow pair 1.4 and 1.0 mag that orbit each other every 80 years, 21 seconds apart. This star lies in the star system closest to our solar system and is one of the brightest stars in the sky. Beta Centaurus, Hadar mag 0.6, a blue giant lies 100 times further away but emits 10,000 times more light than alpha The Coal Sack Nebula is a dark irregular shaped nebula, approximately 7° by 4°, 400 light years away, covers approximately 30° of sky. One of the largest and densest dark nebulae, it is located in the south eastern corner of Crux just east of Alpha Crucis.

Made up of dust and gas it hides thousands of stars beyond it. This breathtaking patch of sky would be above you were you to stand at the South Pole of the Earth. On the upper left of this image are the four stars that mark the boundaries of the famous Southern Cross. At the top of this constellation, also known as The Crux, is the orange star Gamma Crucis. The band of stars, dust, and gas crossing the middle of the photograph is part our Milky Way Galaxy. Just below the Southern Cross on the far left is the dark Coal Sack Nebula, and the bright nebula on the far right is the Carina Nebula. The Southern Cross is such a famous constellation that it is depicted on the national flag of Australia. (Extract from The Jewel Box, NGC 4755 is one of the most beautiful open clusters in the night sky. It is a hazy 4th mag object visible to the naked eye. In binoculars it appears as a small tight cluster of stars located between beta Crucis and the Coal Sack making it easy to find. Multicoloured with more than 50 stars, Kappa Crucis an orange-red giant nestles near its centre.

Binoculars should resolve at least nine of its stars. In small scopes this cluster is spectacular in colour and brightness. The brighter stars forming an “A” with the smaller red, orange and blue stars settled around it. At 86 x magnificaton using a 12 mm eyepiece in my 5 inch refractor, the central bar of 3 stars forming the “A” appeared from centre outwards red, yellow and blue. With a sprinkling of bright pinpoint stars surrounding the brighter 6 to 7 mag stars, it is brilliant and certainly a box of scattered jewels in the sky. The great variety of star colors in this open cluster underlies its name: The Jewel Box. One of the bright central stars is a red supergiant, in contrast to the many blue stars that surround it. The cluster, also known as Kappa Crucis contains just over 100 stars, and is about 10 million years old. Open clusters are younger, contain few stars, and contain a much higher fraction of blue stars than do globular clusters.

This Jewel Box lies about 6,400 light-years away, so the light that we see today was emitted from the cluster before even the Great Pyramids in Egypt were built. The Jewel Box, pictured above, spans about 20 light-years. (Extract from: There is also a multitude of objects within Centaurus to explore here are a few to locate (See Centaurus for more information). Omega Centauri, NGC 5139 is the largest, brightest and one of the nearest (at 17,000 ly) globular clusters in the sky. At mag 3.7 approximately 20’ across it can be seen as a fuzzy ball to the naked eye. With more than a million stars to light it, it is spectacular in view through a telescope. Sometimes described as “like a ball of fire”, this cluster is more condensed near the centre with a powdering of stars as it spreads out. A great object for small and large telescopes. It is best observed with a magnification low enough so the complete cluster fits into your field of view.

It can be located by visualizing a triangle (see star map above) using beta Centaurus (Hadar) and beta Crucis (Mimosa) to form the base and Omega Centaurus sits on the top of the triangle, (approximately 3 times distance between Acrux and beta Crucis). This huge ball of stars predates our Sun. Long before humankind evolved, before dinosaurs roamed, and even before our Earth existed, ancient globs of stars condensed and orbited a young Milky Way Galaxy. Of the 200 or so globular clusters that survive today, Omega Centauri is the largest, containing over ten million stars. Omega Centauri is also the brightest globular cluster, at apparent visual magnitude 3.9 it is visible to southern observers with the unaided eye. Cataloged as NGC 5139, Omega Centauri is about 18,000 light-years away and 150 light-years in diameter. Unlike many other globular clusters, the stars in Omega Centauri show several different ages and trace chemical abundances, indicating that the globular star cluster has a complex history over its 12 billion year age.

(Extract from: Centaurus A, NGC 5128: Now that you have found omega (ω) Centaurus, use it as a marker to locate this 7th mag. giant elliptical galaxy, a famous southern radio source. In good skies it should be visible with binoculars with 75mm scopes showing it clearly. You will need at least 100mm is needed to outline the galaxy and observe the dark bisecting dust lane. In my 128 mm refractor, at 80 to 100 x magnification, I could see a distinct dark bar across the bright round luminous haze. Centaurus A should be found above Omega Centaurus at the top of the triangle approximately 1 degree away from alpha and beta Crux. The closest active galaxy to Earth, Centaurus A is only 11 million light-years distant. Spanning over 60,000 light-years, the peculiar elliptical galaxy is also known as NGC 5128.

Forged in a collision of two otherwise normal galaxies, Centaurus A’s fantastic jumble of young blue star clusters, pinkish star forming regions, and imposing dark dust lanes are seen here in remarkable detail. The colorful galaxy portrait was recorded under clear Chilean skies at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory. Near the galaxy’s center, left over cosmic debris is steadily being consumed by a central black hole with a billion times the mass of the Sun. As in other active galaxies, that process likely generates the radio, X-ray, and gamma-ray energy radiated by Centaurus A. (Extract from: NGC 3918 “The Blue Planetary” is a bright pale blue magnitude 8 planetary nebula near the western border of the Southern Cross in Centaurus. It is bright enough it should be visible in good seeing with a 50 mm telescope. With the Celestron 8 inch at 75 x magnification it appears as a small bluish disk of approximately 12˝. Burnham describes it as “a tiny blue disc very like Uranus”. NGC 4945 a near edge on mag. 9 spiral galaxy 15´ x 1.5´ is worth a look.

Visible as a faint streak in a small telescope. It formed a narrow luminous haze in the C8 at 75 x magnification. It is located southwest of Omega Centauri. Large spiral galaxy NGC 4945 is seen edge-on near the center of this cosmic galaxy portrait. In fact, NGC 4945 is almost the size of our own Milky Way Galaxy. Its own dusty disk, young blue star clusters, and pink star forming regions standout in the sharp, colorful telescopic image. About 13 million light-years distant toward the expansive southern constellation Centaurus, NGC 4945 is only about six times farther away than Andromeda, the nearest large spiral galaxy to the Milky Way. Though the galaxy’s central region is largely hidden from view for optical telescopes, X-ray and infrared observations indicate significant high energy emission and star formation in the core of NGC 4945. Its obscured but active nucleus qualifies the gorgeous island universe as a Seyfert galaxy and likely home to a central supermassive black hole.

(Extract from: NGC 5286 is a small 7.6 mag., bright globular cluster southeast of Omega Centauri approximately 2.5´ across. In the C8 it is a nice object with a condensed centre and scattered outlying stars. Sources used: Hartung’s, D. Malin & D. Frew 1995; The Southern Sky Guide, D Ellyard & W. Tirion, 2001; Collins Pocket Guide – Stars & Planets 1993; Sky Watching, D. Levy 1996, Burnham’s Celestial Handbook 1966. All information on aboriginal legends from “Explorers of the Southern Sky – a history of Australian Astronomy – Raymond Haynes et al 1996. Pictures: Australian Flag - The Flag Meaning Australian National Flag - Meaning & Symbolism The People's Choice – Our National Flag of “Stars and Crosses” The Australian National Flag was chosen by the Australian people in the year of national federation (1901) from 32,823 entries received in a public design competition.

The popular contest was initiated by a publication, The Review of Reviews and made official by the Commonwealth Government. The Prime Minister, Sir Edmund Barton was the master of ceremonies for the first raising of the large, blue national flag, measuring 11 x 5.5 metres. The event was held on 3 September 1901 when the flag was hoisted above the then Commonwealth Parliament meeting place - the Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne. Later, 3 September was officially proclaimed as Australian National Flag Day to commemorate the day in 1901 on which the Australian flag was first flown . Australian National Flag – The Symbolism The Australian National Flag is a design of striking stars and crosses. This unique combination of devices has created an attractive and meaningful flag which by law, custom and tradition is Australia’s chief national symbol. Our flag should be treated with dignity and respect as it represents all Australian citizens equally, whatever their background, race, colour, religion or age. Our flag is a reminder of the contributions of past and current generations to the nation and of the inheritance that will be passed to future generations.

The Crosses – The Saints The three crosses, St George, St Andrew and St Patrick acknowledge the principles and ideals flowing from the British heritage of European settlers; including parliamentary democracy, the rule of law, freedom of speech and the rights and responsibilities of citizens. The Stars – The Southern Cross The constellation of the Southern Cross indicates our geographical location in the southern hemisphere. This constellation of stars relates to the various indigenous legends and reminds us of our rich and precious Aboriginal and Torres Strait heritage. The Commonwealth Star – National Federation The large seven pointed star is the emblem of Australian Federation. Six points represent the states and the seventh all the federal territories which together constitute the nation, the Commonwealth of Australia. Astronomy of the Brazilian Flag This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website Astronomy of the Brazilian Flag Index of All Brazilian Pages The Stars on the Brazilian Flag Unlike the stars on the American flag, each particular star on the Brazilian flag represents one particular state. All stars are actually present in the night sky, which is depicted as if seen from above (i.e.

from outside the illusory 'globe' that the night sky appears to be when seen from Earth), and positioned as they would have been on 15 November 1889 at 08:30 over Rio de Janeiro. There are 5 orders of magnitude (.30, .25, .20, .14 and .10 times 1/14 of the width of the flag respectively). These magnitudes do not directly correspond to the astronomical magnitudes, but are relative to them.

(The stars are identified by color on the image to their right -- these colors do not correspond to their real color, either astronomically or on the flag) State Canis Minor, the Lesser Dog 1 Canis Major, the Greater Dog 1 Canis Major, the Greater Dog 3 Canis Major, the Greater Dog 4 Canis Major, the Greater Dog 2 Canis Major, the Greater Dog 2 Triangulum Australe, the Southern Triangle 2 Triangulum Australe, the Southern Triangle 3 Triangulum Australe, the Southern Triangle 3 Carina, the Keel of Argo 1 Data from original annex to Brazilian Law (in Portuguese) Herman De Wael, 20 January 1998 Star and constellation names translated into scientific and English (and some star names added) by Kjell Roll Elgsaas , 22 January 1998 Stars Visible in the Morning?

Some time ago, someone in Brazil wrote to Flags of the World to say that Herman de Wael's statement that the stars on the Brazilian flag represent the sky as it was above Rio de Janeiro at 20:30 (i.e., 8:30 in the evening) on 15 November 1889 was incorrect. [This statement has since been corrected, above--Ed.] The writer stated that the time was correctly 08:30 (i.e., in the morning). An article in Portuguese by a Brazilian astronomer, Professor Paulo Araújo Duarte of the Federal University of Santa Catarina, bears this out, saying "In truth, the creators of our republican flag intended to represent the stars in the sky at Rio de Janeiro at 8:30 in the morning on 15 November 1889, the moment at which the constellation of the Southern Cross was on the meridian of Rio de Janeiro and the longer arm [of the cross] was vertical." Another article, citing "O Céu da Bandeira (The Sky of the Flag)" by J. R. V. Costa says the precise hour was actually 08:37.

This last article is one of the best overall discussions of the history of the Brazilian flag anywhere; it includes the designer of the flag's explanation of his intentions, at least regarding the stars. Joseph McMillan, 2 August 2002 I'm not sure of this. If we are speaking of seeing stars, 8:30 in the morning is inappropriate, but in the evening it is possible. Of course stars are always here even when we can't see them. Jaume Ollé, 2 August 2002 My original thought was the same as Jaume's--who would put the stars on the flag as seen at a time of day when they couldn't be seen? (And I don't believe there is any time of year when the stars are visible over Rio at 8:30 in the morning.) However, Jorge Candeias has made clear that the expression no dia in this context in the legislation means "in the morning." It now seems to me that there are three pieces of evidence, each strong in its own right and collectively conclusive, that the stars on the Brazilian flag are intended to represent the sky over Rio at 8:30 a.m.

on 15 November 1889, not at 8:30 p.m. (20:30) that evening: Verbal: The flag law says 8:30, not 20:30. This language is not in the 1889 decree but was added much later, at a time when I believe the Brazilian Congress would have written 20:30 if it meant 20:30. Astronomical: The point of specifying the time is that the constellation of the Southern Cross (Crux australis, Cruzeiro do sul) was at the meridian of Rio with Gamma crucis and Alpha crucis aligned vertically. This is what the flag shows and, according to astronomers, occurred at either 08:30 or 08:37 (in the morning). If I haven't forgotten all the astronomy I ever learned--which wasn't a great deal, but enough--twelve hours later the Cruzeiro would have appeared inverted between Sigma octantis and the horizon, if indeed it were above the horizon at all. Historical: A quick review of the history of the proclamation of the republic shows that it happened in the morning.

The coup began with a gathering of officers at about 2:00 a.m. (da madrugada). The cabinet, having gotten word of military plotting overnight, met at the General Headquarters at 6:00 a.m. At about 9:00 a.m., rumors were circulating among the soldiers and civilian population that the cabinet had resigned, that the prime minister had requested the army to guarantee his safety and that of his colleagues and, by 10:45, General Deodoro da Fonseca, the coup leader, was being carried through the streets in triumph. Now I'm still not clear what precisely happened at 8:30 that is supposed to make it the signal moment in the establishment of the republic. I suspect that some mystically-minded republican noted that the Cruzeiro was at the meridian at 08:30 and decided that whatever was going on at that moment was the decisive step. Joseph McMillan, 5 August 2002 I think that's indeed the more likely possibility. It could also be a post-factum thing: since an upright Cruzeiro makes a better symbol than a Cruzeiro in some other position, it was adopted without further thought.

Later on, after being asked repeatedly about the meaning of the symbol, someone cooked up that explanation as a fancy way to keep meaning-buffs happy. Jorge Candeias, 5 August 2002 The Stars in Mirror Image I would point out that the stars on the Brazilian flag are never visible as shown, because the flag portrays them as they would be seen by an imaginary observer an infinite distance above Rio standing outside the firmament in which the stars are considered to be placed. Thus Beta crucis appears to the right of the constellation and Delta crucis to the left, in mirror image of the way they actually appear in the sky (and, coincidentally, the way they appear on the Brazilian coat of arms. Joseph McMillan, 5 August 2002 Australia, Southern Cross, Constellation Crux - Aussie-Info.com The Southern Cross (The Constellation Crux) The Southern Cross is the best known and most represented star group in the Southern Hemisphere. The group's distinctive shape is easily located because of its brightness and close proximity to each other. It can be seen all year round from almost anywhere in the Australia. The constellation is not visible in the northern hemisphere.

The Southern Cross contains four bright stars so situated that they depict the extremities of a Latin cross. Thousands of years ago these four stars were an object of reverence in the Near East. In the Biblical days they were just visible at the horizon. It was last seen from the latitude of Jerusalem at the time of the crucifixion of Christ. It is no longer visible at latitudes north of 25 degrees. The constellation was again discovered in the early sixteenth century by European navigators and explorers who used it to steer by and also to calculate the time of day. Because it is not visible in the northern skies, there are no Greek or Roman myths or legends associated with it. Instead the Australian Aborigines have many stories to tell using the stars of the Southern Cross. The Southern Cross & the Australian Flag The design of the Australian flag was chosen in 1901 after an Australia-wide competition. One of the five finalists, with identical designs, was a fourteen year old schoolboy from Melbourne, Ivor Evans, who used the Southern Cross to represent the four moral virtues of justice, prudence, temperance and fortitude (as portrayed by the Italian poet, Dante), principles that Australians should live up to.

'Wattle' you see next? » National Flags That Double As Geographic Representations | The Basement Geographer National Flags That Double As Geographic Representations by kuschk Above are two nearly identical national flags. The national flag on the right is exactly that – in this case the flag of India. The national flag on the left, however, is not just a national flag but also a geographic depiction of the country of the land it represents, Niger. It may not be obvious at first, but the flag was intentionally designed to eplicate (as much as it can with three horizontal stripes, anyway) the country’s three major environmental regions. The orange at the top represents the Sahara in the north of the country; the white in the middle represents the savannah in the centre; the green at the bottom represents the grassy plains and Niger River valley in the south. While nearly all countries have a designated meaning for the colours and symbols on their national banners (many of which include famous landmarks and symbolic depictions of natural features on them), few countries have actually arranged the colours and/or symbols on the banners to reflect relative geographic locations.

Two national flags, those of Cyprus and Kosovo, actually go so far as to depict their entire country in proper-scale map form directly on the flag. In efforts to avoid the use of previous existing national symbols associated with specific ethnic groups, both the Cypriot flag (1960) and the Kosovo flag (2008) instead employed maps to serve as neutral, unifying symbols. A similar method was employed in 1998 in the design of a new flag for Bosnia and Herzegovina. When representatives of the country’s three constituent peoples (Croats, Serbs, and Bosniaks) could not agree on a design for Bosnia’s flag, one was chosen for them by the International High Representative . The design not only employed neutral colours and an ‘infinite’ band of stars representing Europe, but it also used a right triangle that mimicked the shape of Bosnia’s borders. Compare the real-world shape of Bosnia and Herzegovina with the abstract triangular version depicted on its flag. In addition to being an abstract representation of Bosnia’s borders, the three points of the triangle also represent each of the country’s three constituent peoples. The flag of Nauru is one of two national flags to depict a line of latitude.

In this case, the yellow line represents the Equator. Nauru lies barely half a degree south of the Equator and so is on the flag depicted in white (Nauru is one of the great phosphate islands of the Pacific , hence its white colouring) just barely below the yellow line. Its positioning well to the left of the centre of the flag is also a geographic representation, intended to depict the island’s location well to the west of the International Date Line. Another South Pacific country, Tuvalu, uses stars on its flag to depict its relative geographic location . The nine stars in the field of the flag may appear to be placed in random locations, but this is hardly the case. When the flag is flown from its hoist instead of horizontally, the arrangement of the stars reflects the relative positions of the country’s nine islands. A comparison of the position of the nine stars on the Tuvaluan flag with the actual relative positions of the country’s nine islands. The constraints of the flag’s dimension do force a bit of rearranging. Interestingly, the word Tuvalu translates to ‘eight together’, representative of the fact that the ninth and smallest Tuvaluan island, Niulakita , was not settled until 1949.

Above: the flags of Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Christmas Island, and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, all of which prominently display the Southern Cross. Related to the geographic depiction of countries on flags is the depiction of constellations as they appear in the night sky above those countries. Among sovereign states and dependent territories, five countries and two territories show such arrangements. All of these territories lie in the southern hemisphere. As such, all of them display the constellation Crux , better known as the Southern Cross, the smallest of the 88 modern constellations in the night sky . As well, all of these territories, with one exception, belong to the Commonwealth of Nations. The flag of Brazil is the only non-Commonwealth country to depict the Southern Cross, but the cross is not the only constellation depicted on the Brazilian flag. Crux is just one of five separate constellations shown on the flag. In the centre of the flag is a celestial sphere that shows the sky above Rio de Janeiro at 8:30 in the morning on 15 November 1889, the day Brazil became a republic.

Each of the 27 stars in the flag represents one of the 26 states and the Federal District. The varying sizes of the stars indicate the relative area of each territorial division within Brazil; five separate magnitudes of stars are used. As well, the national motto Ordem e Progresso (‘Order and Progress’) is displayed on a white band wrapped around the sphere. While this white band was not originally intended to symbolise the Equator, it now serves that purpose with regard to the position of the star representing the state of Para, which straddles the Equator. Oddly, the same was not done for the stars representing the states of Amapa and Roraima, which were created later in 1943 . The constellations and/or prominent stars depicted on the Brazilian flag: 1) Procyon, 2) Canis Major, 3) Canopus, 4) Spica, 5) Hydra, 6) Crux, 7) Sigma Octantis (the South Star), 8) Triangulum Australe, 9) Scorpius. Further Reading Duarte, P.A. (). Astronomia na Bandeira Brasileira.

Planetário Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. Available at . Accessed 7 August 2012 Flags of the World (2012). Flags of the World. Available at . Accessed 7 August 2012. Tanner, M. (1998). Outside world chooses new flag for Bosnia. The Independent, 5 February 1998. Available at . Accessed 6 August 2012. A Brief History of Australian Flags GO A Brief History of Australian Flags Australia′s flag has already changed many times. Our present flag dates from only 1953. The following is a summary of the changes to Australia′s national flag since 1770. For a more complete history of Australia′s national flag, read our article History of the Australian National Flag . The Union Flag 1770 Australia′s first flag was the Union Flag (used by Captain Cook in 1770 and Captain Phillip in 1788). The Union Jack 1801 Then came the Union Flag (also known as the Union Jack) with the inclusion of the flag of St Patrick when Ireland joined the Union in 1801.

Australian Flag 1901 – Defaced British Red Ensign From the middle of the nineteenth century, a growing Australian nationalism brought forth many unofficial flags – all of them incorporating the constellation of the Southern Cross (Crux Australis), which was universally accepted as the emblem of the Great South Land. In 1901 the new Federal Government organised a competition for a new flag – one for "official" or Government use, and one for the "merchant" service (i.e. citizens at sea). The judging and approval process were such that only a British Ensign with a badge representative of Australia was likely to be a winner. The winning design for the merchant flag was based on the British Red Ensign, and the winning design for the official Government flag was based on the British Blue Ensign. Australian Flag 1903 – Stars Altered in Southern Cross The King approved slightly altered designs in 1903, and the Union Jack was to remain the senior flag to both designs. Australian Flag 1909 – Seventh Point Added to Federation Star Then, in 1909 a seventh point was added to the Federation star.

Australian Flag 1953 – Defaced British Blue Ensign For many years there was considerable misunderstanding in Australia and in other countries with regard to the use of the Australian flags. During World War II, Prime Minister Menzies issued a directive that there should be no restriction on the flying of the "Commonwealth Blue Ensign", and Prime Minister Chifley gave his support to that view in 1947. In 1953, by means of a Commonwealth Act of Parliament – the Flags Act 1953 – the "British Blue Ensign" was proclaimed the national flag. Only since then has it had seniority over the Union Jack. © Ausflag 2017 Southern Cross – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand National flags featuring the Southern Cross The Southern Cross is a pattern of stars (constellation) in the Milky Way galaxy. The stars are visible in the southern hemisphere sky. It was named by 16th-cenury European explorers, who recognised the shape of a cross. Four bright stars form the outline, with another fainter star just below the crossbar. Māori views Māori tribes have different traditions about these stars.

Some believed it was an anchor of a great sky canoe, or an opening in the sky that the winds blew through. A national icon The New Zealand flag displays the Southern Cross. The cross is also on the Australian flag (although it shows all five stars compared to New Zealand’s four). As well as being a national symbol, the Southern Cross is a name given to ships, planes, newspapers and companies. Position You can find the Southern Cross by the Pointers – two bright stars that point towards it. The cross changes position in the sky as the earth rotates. For example, on 1 April it is upright and high overhead, while on 1 October it is upside-down and low in the sky. Because the Southern Cross can be seen all year round, people use it for navigation. It is especially useful for finding the direction south. The stars of the cross Alpha Crucis or Acrux, at the foot of the cross, is the brightest star of the Southern Cross. It is the 14th brightest star in the night sky. Beta Crucis forms the eastern tip of the crossbar. It is a blue-white giant star. Gamma Crucis, at the top of the cross, is a red-orange star.

Delta Crucis, at the western tip, is a blue-white giant star. Epsilon Crucis is the faint fifth star. At 570 light years away, it is the furthest of the five stars from earth.

Question: What constellation is depicted on the Australian flag?
Answer: Southern Cross