Stargazing
18 May 2014 | Whangaria, New Zealand
Larry Anderson
Southern Cross
I have been wanting to shoot the Southern Cross for a while and finally went out a couple nights ago to give it a try. Of course some clouds moved in, but it made the shot kind of interesting.
For my friends in the Northern Hemisphere who may not have seen this constellation before, here you go.
If you look about halfway between the boat mast on the left side of the picture and the top of the flag pole on the right side of the picture. You'll see two bright stars. These are called the pointers. If you draw an imaginary line between these two stars and follow it to the top of the picture you will find the top star in the Southern Cross.
The Southern Cross looks like the outline of a kite. Made up of 4 stars, one at the tip of each corner of the kite.
Now that you've identified the Southern Cross lets do a little navigation lesson. Draw an imaginary line from the top star in the cross to the bottom star and continue that line beyond the bottom of the Southern Cross.
Now go back and find the two pointers. Draw a line between them again. Now,halfway between the pointers, draw another imaginary line at a 90 degree angle to the first line. Extend that line out until it crosses the line from the Southern Cross.
Where these two line intersect is due south. Now if your in the Southern Hemisphere you can find your way home!
Go to the photo gallery and pull up the picture shown above so you get a better view. This was a time lapse shot and a satellite was passing thru the shot. Can you find it? It is a challenge to find but I know you can. Post your answer, describe where in the shot it is, on our blog. We love to hear from you guys!
We continue preparations for our crossing from New Zealand to Fiji. It's getting cold here!
Cheers!