The Southern Cross constellation, as its name suggests, is available to residents of the southern half of our planet. You won't see it from Russian territory. Nevertheless, the name of this cluster of stars is known to many "northern" inhabitants in literature, it was mentioned by the great travel romantic Jules Verne and the epic Dante. In addition to literary sources, many people know the constellation of the Southern Cross from the Australian flag, where it symbolizes the state of Victoria.
Earthly history of a celestial phenomenon
Let's start with the fact that the constellation of the Southern Cross is quite young. In ancient times, it has not yet taken shape in the form that we see now, has not received a name and, accordingly, has not been mythologized.
However, the Romans understood the constellation of the Southern Cross as asterism, that is, a certain cluster of stars, which they called the Throne of the Emperor. That is, we can say that the earthly history of this group of luminariesbegan before the group received its modern name. Ancient Arab astronomers also knew the star cluster at the place where the constellation of the Southern Cross is now located, although they called it differently.
Australians who have "free access" to the constellation have their own myth. In their opinion, the cross is two cockatoos chased by an evil spirit (its role is played by the Coal Sack, which is quite symbolic, because where else can you put the stolen stuff).
The European Middle Ages gave rise to a beautiful legend associated with the fall of the first people. It was believed that Adam and Eve in tears watched the removal of the Southern Cross, which condemned the act of our forefathers. Since then, they say, this constellation has been inaccessible to the eyes of the inhabitants of the northern hemisphere.
Until the seventeenth century, this cluster was not distinguished into a separate constellation at all, its stars were considered part of the Centaurus constellation. According to various sources, either Bayer “isolated” the Southern Cross (in this case it happened in 1603), or the Frenchman Royer (then it happened three quarters of a century later, in 1679).
The familiar name appeared due to the Magellanic voyage around the world, but it was finally fixed only in the 18th century. The purpose of giving four stars the name "Southern" was to distinguish them from the constellation Cygnus, which in that era was also often called the Cross.
Constellation sizes
Due to the excessive romanticization of the Southern Cross, people far from astronomy believe that this is a large and bright constellation. However, forto a person not armed with a telescope, this star cluster looks like a combination of four luminaries, really depicting a somewhat beveled cross. This is explained by the fact that the rest of the stars included in the constellation are rather dim, and the naked eye can hardly distinguish them. In fact, the Southern Cross is a constellation (the photo shows this clearly), consisting of a larger number of stars (there are about 30 of them). However, for the constellations, this is very little. For example, the Big Dipper, beloved by the northern hemisphere, includes 125 luminaries, and in size this cluster exceeds the so-called "big" Southern Cross by almost twenty times.
Name mismatch
If we take the name strictly, then the constellation Southern Cross cannot be called a cross by the fifth "star", comparable in brightness to the four main ones and therefore visible even without a telescope. It would be more correct to say that it is perceived as a single luminary precisely without enhancing vision, since in reality it is dozens of stars of various colors. And if the spectacle is simply mesmerizing in a telescope, then for an ordinary person it makes it somewhat difficult to perceive the constellation in the form of a cross.
Importance of the Southern Cross for orientation
However, the romanticization of this constellation is explained quite simply. In the southern part of the globe, it is comparable to the North Star of the northern half. Only if our native "pointer" helps to determine where the north is, then the Cross indicates to the traveler where the south is.
The main clarification is to determinethe south direction in this constellation is much more difficult than the north direction in the North Star. In the Cross, only two stars point south: Alpha and Gamma, otherwise called Acrux and Gacrux. They form a longer axis of the rhombus. In principle, the traveler is oriented in the direction. But if a more precise indication is needed, then this diagonal must be extended four and a half times and a small star with the trivial name Sigma Octane, which is located almost above the south pole, should be found there. So for all these calculations you need to be almost a professional astronomer. However, the sailors of antiquity were them, and they managed to do without modern complex, but accurate instruments.
Another difficulty
In addition to all these difficulties, the orientation, which helps the constellation of the Southern Cross, makes it difficult to have another similar star cluster. It is located nearby and belongs to two constellations at once: Carina and Sail. At the same time, the outlines of this asterism are disgustingly similar to the southern "pointer", for which he received the name of the False Southern Cross. To the trained eye, it can be seen that the deceiver's cross-section has an angle of inclination in the wrong direction, but those who sailed in the old days in these waters for the first time were mistaken and moved in the wrong direction.
