[AZ-Observing] Finally realized
- From: Bob Christ <bchrist@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: az-observing@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:05:59 -0700
For many years I fondly associated the term “Southern Cross” as being
something distant and adventuresome, my thinking incited by my exposure
to the term's use in film; I simply liked the sound of the name.
Years ago I attended a cruise ship lecture about the Southern sky while
sailing the waters of French Polynesia and learned the Southern Cross is
a recognizable object in the sky; this before I became actively engaged
in astronomy. I also learned that there are false crosses that can be
mistaken for the real deal. The lecturer said to liken the Southern
Cross to a baseball diamond. The brightest star is home plate, and there
is a “base runner” between home and first – a star not present in the
false crosses. Armed with this information, I proceed to look for the
Southern Cross each night and was greeted with cloudy skies.
Not to be deterred, several years ago my wife and I took a cruise
throughout Asia that began in Singapore and I was sure I would be able
to “bag” the Southern Cross during this trip. Not so. Again the skies
were cloudy each evening: foiled again. I am detecting a pattern here:
cruise ships + ocean + sky = disappointment.
This month my wife and I took a cruise around South America and I was
prepared with a Southern Hemisphere chart from SkyMaps.com and pages
copied from my Sky & Telescope Pocket Atlas. Not only was the target the
Southern Cross, but now also Omega Centauri. “If I cannot see one
object, perhaps I cannot see two.”
We lodged in Valparaiso the night before boarding the ship and late in
the evening I climbed to the roof of our mini-hotel and looked up. There
it was in all of its glory: the Southern Cross. I was ecstatic! The sky
was not perfect and I could not detect the “base runner,” but knew I was
on the real cross, guided by the pointer provided by Alpha and Beta
Centauri. Exhausted from the plane trip, I had forgotten to take my
binoculars with me to glance at Omega Centauri. One for two.
Out at sea, once again the formula for disappointment prevailed for a
string of nights until the ship^ had reached southern Chilean waters. On
the first cloudless evening, I looked up and there was the Southern
Cross, poised about 50 degrees high in the sky! Using my 9x25
(non-astro) binoculars, I was also able to bag Omega Centauri. Two for two!
Following a conversation with the Cruise Director, he asked if the
captain could turn off the lights on Deck 11, the highest one, at some
point to view the sky. On the evening of March 25, the sky was clear and
at 11PM the lights on Deck 11 were turned-off. The Milky Way simply
jumped out, and the 50-60 of 303 passengers that stayed awake beyond
their bedtimes were treated to a wonderful sight that most have never
seen. I pointed them to the: Southern Cross, one of the false crosses,
Sirius (sky’s brightest star), and half of the winter hexagon (Sirius,
Procyon, and Pollux/Caster) because the remaining 3 stars had settled
below the horizon "taking Orion" with them. I was a great time.
My quest had been satisfied, save for one downside: I missed this year’s
Messier Marathon. Oh well, next year’s marathon will roll around
all-to-quickly.
Clear skies.
Bob Christ
--
See message header for info on list archives or unsubscribing, and please
send personal replies to the author, not the list.
Other related posts:
