Re: Constellations in the Southern Hemisphere

Dear Jayanth:

The smallest of all constellations is also the most famous of the southern hemisphere. The constellation is Crux, better known as The Southern Cross. The little constellation covers only about 68 square degrees of the sky, but contains very four bright stars which form the cross.

Crux is prominently featured on the flags of Australia, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea.

Crux was once part of the neighboring constellation Centaurus---one of the largest in the sky. Centaurus is famous for the star Rigel Centaurus, which is actually two stars---very bright Alpha Centauri A and its companion, Alpha Centauri B. This binary star system is only about 4.4 light-years from our Sun. Nearby is Proxima Centauri---the star that is closest to our Sun. Proxima Centauri is only about 4.26 light-years away. Although it is closest, Proxima Centauri is a dim red dwarf and is not visible from Earth with the unaided eye.

A southern hemisphere constellation that is in the news is Circinus, The Compass. Ciricunus is a neighbor to both Centaurus and Crux. An amateur astronomer in Australia discovered a comet in Circinus on August 10! The comet is known as C/1998 P1 and is currently being studied to determine its orbit and other attributes.

[Also see the Constellation Page.]

Best Regards, Rick