Constellations
Crux (Cru)
The Southern Cross
Also known as southern cross, the cross.
6 looks for Crux
The constellation in a clear night sky over the hills: its lines draw themselves one on every beat, its real stars twinkle with the part of the song their colour answers, the Milky Way glows and a shooting star crosses on the big moments.
About Crux
- What it is
- One of the IAU's constellations: The Southern Cross
- IAU abbreviation
- Cru
- Its stars are named
- Crucis (as in "Alpha Crucis")
- Family
- Hercules family
- Where
- The southern sky: seen best from south of the equator
- Highest in the sky
- At about 9 pm in May
- Centre
- Right ascension 12h 30m, declination −59° 42′
- The figure
- 4 stars joined by 2 lines
- Brightest star
- Acrux, magnitude 0.76
Its stars
Brightest first. A smaller magnitude is a brighter star; the visualizer sizes and colours each one by these.
- Acrux (α1 Cru)mag 0.76
- Mimosa (β Cru)mag 1.25
- Gacrux (γ Cru)mag 1.63
- Imai (δ Cru)mag 2.80
Every star's place, brightness and colour is the Yale Bright Star Catalogue's; the figure is the IAU's, through d3-celestial (credited on the licences page). Constellations template · Every constellation