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Crux



Abbreviation: Cru
Genitive: Crucis
Right Ascension: 12.45 hours
Declination: -59.97 degrees
  Crux, the Southern Cross, is visible from latitudes south of 25 degrees North and completely invisible in latitudes above 35 degrees North.

Crux was unknown to the ancient world, Ptolemy drew it as part of Centaur in the original 48 constellations, The Romans called it Thronis Caesaris in honor of emperor Augustus, although Crux is invisible in Italy, it was visible from Alexandaria.

Another interesting sidelight is that Crux was last seen in Jerusalem (latitude 31 degrees, 46 minutes, and 45 seconds) about the time that Christ was crucified.

The invention of Crux is generally attributed to Royer in 1679, but we know it was written about some two centuries earlier than that. Amerigo Vespucci has references in his ships logs from 1507 to Crux.

Crux was an aid to early sailors, the southern hemisphere does not have a bright star near the south pole, so many used Crux which is some 25 degrees from true south, they would draw a line using the stars in the cross to the south pole and could then make a determination of their position.

  Bright Stars | Deep Sky | Other Deep Sky | Variable Stars | Double Stars
 

Best Known Stars

(Yale Bright Star Catalog)
 
Common Name
or Bayer Number 1 		RA DEC Magnitude 2
BET CRU 12.00:47.00:43.23 -59.00:41.00:19.46 1.25
ACRUX 12.00:26.00:35.87 -63.00:5.00:56.58 1.33
GACRUX 12.00:31.00:9.92 -57.00:6.00:47.50 1.63
DEL CRU 12.00:15.00:8.68 -58.00:44.00:56.08 2.80
   
 

Deep Sky Objects

(PAS Catalog)
   
 

Other Deep Sky Objects

(Saguaro Astronomy Club Catalog)
  Only Objects less than 10.0 Mag.
 
Object R.A. Dec. Object Type 3 Mag. Uranometria Tirion
Ru 97 11 57.3 -62 39 OPNCL 09.1 450 25
Ru 98 11 58.0 -64 29 OPNCL 07 450 25
NGC 4052 12 01.9 -63 12 OPNCL 08.8 450 25
NGC 4103 12 06.7 -61 15 OPNCL 07.4 450 25
NGC 4337 12 23.9 -58 08 OPNCL 08.9 428 25
NGC 4349 12 24.5 -61 54 OPNCL 07.4 450 25
NGC 4439 12 28.4 -60 06 OPNCL 08.4 428 25
Hogg 14 12 28.6 -59 49 OPNCL 09.5 428 25
Harvard 5 12 29.0 -60 46 OPNCL 07.1 428 25
NGC 4609 12 42.3 -62 58 OPNCL 06.9 451 25
NGC 4755 12 53.6 -60 20 OPNCL 04.2 429 25
   
 

Variable Stars

(General Catalog of Variable Stars)
  Only Objects <= 8.0 magnitude
 
GCVS ID R.A.
(hh mm ss.ss)		 Dec.
(deg mm ss)		 Variable Type 4 Mag. Min Mag. Max
R Cru 12.00:20.00:52.20 -61.00:21.00:8.00 DCEP 7.23 6.40
S Cru 12.00:51.00:23.60 -58.00:9.00:34.00 DCEP 6.92 6.22
T Cru 12.00:18.00:36.50 -62.00:0.00:15.00 DCEP 6.83 6.32
BG Cru 12.00:28.00:51.90 -59.00:8.00:52.00 DCEPS 5.58 5.34
BL Cru 12.00:24.00:42.60 -58.00:42.00:55.00 SR: 0.35 5.43
BU Cru 12.00:50.00:37.70 -60.00:5.00:10.00 E: 6.90 6.80
BZ Cru 12.00:39.00:53.20 -62.00:47.00:6.00 GCAS 5.45 5.24
CC Cru 12.00:50.00:47.20 -60.00:3.00:38.00 ELL: 0.08 7.97
CH Cru 12.00:39.00:3.00 -59.00:24.00:42.00 GCAS: 5.70 4.88
CL Cru 12.00:4.00:23.00 -64.00:17.00:48.00 M 7.74 6.18
bet Cru 12.00:44.00:47.00 -59.00:24.00:57.00 BCEP 1.31 1.23
del Cru 12.00:12.00:28.60 -58.00:28.00:15.00 BCEP 2.84 2.78
tet 2 Cru 12.00:1.00:43.90 -62.00:53.00:14.00 BCEP: 4.74 4.70
lam Cru 12.00:51.00:40.10 -58.00:52.00:31.00 BCEP: 0.02 4.62
mu2 Cru 12.00:51.00:39.60 -56.00:53.00:50.00 GCAS 5.18 4.99
   
 

Double Stars

(Saguaro Astronomy Club Catalog)
  Only Objects <= 8.0 magnitude
 
Name R.A.
(hh mm.m)		 Dec.
(deg mm)		 Mag 5 Sep 6 PA 7 Tirion Uranometria
BSO 8 12 24.9 -58 07 7.6, 7.9 5.30 335 25 428
CPO 12 12 28.3 -61 45 7.0, 7.7 2.10 204 25 428/ 429/ 450
DUN 124 12 31.1 -57 06 1.6, 6.7 10.60 31 25 428/ 429
DUN 125 12 47.8 -59 40 1.5, 7.5 369.90 23 25 429
DUN 126 12 54.6 -57 10 4.3, 5.3 34.90 17 25 429