Finding South

Thought I'd take a shot of our much vaunted southern cross, so that if you are down here and your iphone batteries go flat so you cant use the compass app. to find south this is what you do......:)
1 Locate the southern cross unless cloudy this is normaly quite bright and can even bee seen during a full moon.
2 Locate the two pointers Alpha centuri and Beta centuri
3 Project an imaginary line down through the cross
4 Project another line at right angles from a point half way between the tthe two pointers
5 From the point at which the two line intersect drop a vertical line to the horizon, this is south
During the night this will rotate around but the two lines allways intersect at the celestial south pole

I always thought that the Southern Cross was a group of cross-shaped stars. :) Obviously, I've never been south of the equator. - TF

Quote:

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Originally Posted by OldClicker

I always thought that the Southern Cross was a group of cross-shaped stars. :) Obviously, I've never been south of the equator. - TF

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It is cross shaped. The four stars in the upper portion of the photo are the stars that define the Southern Cross. The other two are the 'markers' so that the intersection defines where southern axis of the earth lies, more or less.

p.s.

"Southern Cross" is also a good old standard song by CSN. Yes, I'm showing my age with that one.

cdp

It is cross shaped. The four stars in the upper portion of the photo are the stars that define the Southern Cross. The other two are the 'markers' so that the intersection defines where southern axis of the earth lies, more or less.

Thanks

p.s.

"Southern Cross" is also a good old standard song by CSN. Yes, I'm showing my age with that one.

Age? Early '80s, maybe? You're barely out of diapers.

TF

Quote:

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Originally Posted by OldClicker

It is cross shaped. The four stars in the upper portion of the photo are the stars that define the Southern Cross. The other two are the 'markers' so that the intersection defines where southern axis of the earth lies, more or less.

Thanks

p.s.

"Southern Cross" is also a good old standard song by CSN. Yes, I'm showing my age with that one.

Age? Early '80s, maybe? You're barely out of diapers.

TF

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If I was in my early 80's I might be in diapers. :D Got a few years before becoming an octogenarian or septuagenarian or, well, I don't know the next younger one.

Thanks for the post, I kind of knew that it was related to the pointers but I was never sure how. So, as of know, I used to know that the long axis it was kind of pointing South.
Amazing how it rotates as the night passes.

Thanks for your comments OC, drg, and pisco, the raw image enhanced showed an amazing star scape which unfortunately when compessed down to size became not worth posting