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Crux

The Southern Cross is one of the most popular representations in the sky for observers in the southern hemisphere. Four stars give the constellation its characteristic configuration:

1. Acrux, at the foot of the cross, is the brightest of the four at magnitude 0.67 (and is the 13th brightest in the sky). Although a single star is visible in the image, Acrux is a sixfold system 321 light-years (average) from Earth.

2. Mimosa (below in the image), is second in order of brightness with a magnitude of 1.15. It is also known by the name of Becrux and is a spectroscopic binary system 278 light years from Earth.

3. Gacrux, the head of the cross, is third in order of brightness with a magnitude of 1.63. It is a red giant 88 light years from Earth.

4. Delta Crucis, also known as Imai, is the least bright of the quatern, with a magnitude of 2.70. Delta Crucis is in the process of evolving into a red giant.

An important group of star clusters enrich the view of this magnificent region of the sky, such as NGC 4755, known as The Jewel Box, under Mimosa. Caldwell 97 and Caldwell 100 can be seen above in the image on the Gacrux and Delta Crucis side. But surely what is most striking are the dark areas surrounding the foot of the cross. It is the most important of the dark nebulae in our sky, known as the "coal sack."

If you visit Argentina, don't miss the opportunity to go to a dark sky and look at the stars. After the astonishment, after feeling and assuming our enormous finiteness and contingency under that magnificent starry sky, look for the Southern Cross, the smallest, but the most notable of the 88 constellations in the sky. It is always visible, not hidden, and the sack of coal can be seen with the naked eye.

 

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Details:

nova.astrometry.net/user_images/7940925#annotated

 

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Nikon D5600.

Nikon 75-150 lens (in 100 mm).

23 minutes of integration.

Iso 1000.

f/3.5.

Processed with Siril and Gimp.

April 30, 2023 - 00:38 UT (average time).

Rural area, Concordia, Entre Ríos, Argentina.

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Uploaded on May 1, 2023
Taken on April 30, 2023