At Sea - Searching for the Southern CrossFeb 4, 2009
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Southern Cross (4 bright stars shaped like a triangle)
The Southern Cross is one of the most well known constellations, visible only from certain vantage points in the southern hemisphere. It is the smallest out of the 88 constellations that exist. It lies at a distance of approximately 7500 light years away and consists of approximately 100 stars with the 4 brightest known as the Southern Cross. The 5 brightest stars of this amazing constellation appear on the flags of Australia, while the flags of New Zealand exhibit only 4. We were hoping for clearing skies tonight in hopes of getting a glimpse of the Southern Cross. Late in the day, the skies did begin to clear and at about 10:30 pm off the starboard helm of the ship, there it was! It was quite easy to see in fact, especially the 4 brightest stars. Although it was quite windy and cold up on deck, several braved the winds to get a once-in-a-lifetime look at this constellation.
