Under the Southern Cross

         When down south, below the Equator, a visitor from North America has an opportunity to feast his eyes on the night sky without the reflected glare of large urban centers.  This affords the stargazer a fantastic view, especially in summer, with its Milky Way.  Here in the southern hemisphere, the Southern Cross is a storied feature of the night sky.
       The constellation is the smallest of the 88 "modern" constellations, but one of the most distinctive.  It is composed of 5 stars, 4 of which are located at the ends of an imaginary 'cross' formed by connecting the dots.  A 5th star is located just inside the lines, known as the e or epsilon star.  The stars have names: Acrux, Mimosa, Delta Crucis, Gacrux, and Epsilon.   The group of stars was known to the ancient Greeks, but few others as it cannot be seen much farther north.  As explorers and navigators traveled to the southern hemisphere, they became aware of this constellation.
       In Argentina and Chile, it is widely known.  In Brazil, it is almost revered as a symbol of Southern pride.  The stars can be found on the Brazilian flag, a few state flags, and on the flags of Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Samoa.  In Spanish, it is known as Cruz del Sur.  Brazil has a soccer club of some repute named Southern Cross.
       For Americans, it has been popularized by World War II participants who fought in the South Pacific.  Namely, the 1st Marine Division.  The division's blue diamond insignia features a scarlet numeral one surrounded by the stars of the Crux in white.  The patch of the Americal Division features the 4 major stars on a shield.  Both divisions were formed to fight Japanese forces in the Solomon Islands in 1942, located between the Philipine Islands and Australia.  Richard Rodgers, composer of theme music for the series "Victory at Sea", named one melody "Under the Southern Cross" to accompany film footage of battleships heading to the islands in the Coral Sea.
      The pop group Crosby, Stills, Nash titled one of their songs"Southern Cross".
      Today, in Patagonian Argentina and Chile, gauchos and rural folk use the stars as a night time navigation aid.  Without the Big Dipper, the Pole Star, and others, northern visitors have to be content with this fabled, easily recognized substitute: the Southern Cross.