The New Zealand rugby team, the All Blacks, perform the haka before each match in a stunning show of strength and physical prowess. The Union Jack at the canton represents the close relationship bet… More News from WHO. The purpose of the Southern Cross Medical Library is to provide information of a general nature to help you better understand certain medical conditions. Although there has been much debate about when and how Polynesians actually started settling New Zealand, the current understanding is that they migrated from East and central Polynesia, the Southern Cook and Society islands region. Mimosa is the 19th brightest star in the sky and Deneb, the 20th. The Southern Celestial Pole can also be located by drawing a line between the stars Alpha and Beta Centauri in Centaurus constellation, and finding the point where this line intersects with the one from Alpha to Gamma Crucis. Cook's first voyage did not disprove claims of a huge landmass near the South Pole between New Zealand and South … The longer bar of the cross-shaped star pattern points almost exactly to the South Pole in the sky. The Southern Cross carries significance across many southern countries and civilizations. National flags featuring the Southern Cross. δ Crucis (Delta Crucis), formally named Imai and sometimes known as Pálida (“the pale one” in Portuguese) has a visual magnitude of 2.79 and lies at a distance of around 345 light years from Earth. The star is a rapid rotator, with a projected rotational velocity of 210 km/s. Dr Corinne Capuano. The Southern … Their surface temperatures are 28,000 and 26,000 K, and luminosities 25,000 and 16,000 times solar respectively. El Niño and La Niña episodes occur on average every few years and last up to around a year or two. You can find the Southern Cross by the Pointers – two bright Following a line from Alpha to Beta Centauri will take you near Gamma Crucis, the top star in the cross asterism. the Milky Way galaxy. Officially the flag with the Southern Cross was for maritime purposes only but it came to be used on land, even though the Union Jack remained the legal flag of New Zealand. The asterism is one of the easiest to identify in the sky and it has significance in a number of cultures in the southern latitudes. "It tells people about when seasons are changing, when food sources are coming in and also gives them a social aspect," Dr Hamacher says. Southern Cross group, a collection of independent, health-oriented businesses in New Zealand, operates on not-for-profit principles and is New Zealand's largest non-public health care organisation. The most problematic situation usually occurs with short journeys from west to east. In areas of South Australia and Queensland the Southern Cross represents a sting ray. The five stars of the Southern Cross are believed to be between 10 and 20 million years old. In New Zealand, mountains, or maunga, are held in the utmost regard and are considered the highest order of sacred. It is a hot, massive blue-white subgiant star currently in the process of becoming a red giant. The Southern Cross on the New Zealand flag only has four stars, while the Aussie one has six and is more astronomically correct, though any New Zealander will tell you that’s just the Australians being picky. For example, on 1 April it is upright and high overhead, while on 1 October it is upside-down and low national symbol, the Southern Cross is a name given to ships, Like Ursa Major, whose bright pointer stars show the way to the North Star, the Southern Cross can be used to find the location of the Southern Celestial Pole, and has been used by navigators for centuries. stars compared to New Zealand’s four). The Australian and New Zealand flags are “defaced” with the stars of the Southern Cross, a constellation visible from their positions in the southern hemisphere. Get official travel information, maps, itineraries, activities & accommodation to help you plan your next holiday to New Zealand. ENSO influences rainfall, temperature, and wind patterns around the world, including New Zealand. In areas of South Australia and Queensland the Southern Cross … It is the second brightest star of the Southern Cross asterism. As well as being a national symbol, the Southern Cross is a name given to ships, planes, newspapers and companies. Alpha-1 Crucis has a visual magnitude of 1.40 and Alpha-2 Crucis has a magnitude of 2.09. It belongs to the spectral class B2 IV. Māori likened it to an anchor or an aperture, and early European voyagers saw it as a cross: the Southern Cross constellation is a distinctive feature of the southern night sky. The Southern Cross is located near the larger constellation Centaurus, which surrounds it on three sides. The first aeroplane to cross the Tasman Sea, in September 1928, was the Southern Cross,a three-engine Fokker, flown by Charles Kingsford Smith and C. T. P. Ulm. The Coalsack earned the nickname “Black Magellanic Cloud” in the 16th century, apparently rivalling the prominence of the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, the two dwarf irregular galaxies that shine brightly in the skies of the Southern Hemisphere. The four stars of the Southern Cross were also proposed, but were rejected as not being exclusively representative of New Zealand. In 1867, the colonial government settled on the abbreviation ‘NZ’ in red lettering with a white border to represent New Zealand on the Blue Ensign. The Southern Cross (The Constellation Crux) The Southern Cross is the best known and most represented star group in the Southern Hemisphere. β Crucis (Beta Crucis), or Becrux, is also known by a proper name, Mimosa. Gamma Crucis, at the top of the cross, is a red-orange So distinctive and evocative is the Southern Cross that the national flags of Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Samoa all include a representation of it. Observers in the tropical latitudes of the northern hemisphere can see it near the horizon in winter and spring, but only for a few hours every night. By contrast, our near neighbour Australia uses the Southern Cross on its flag, but the northern third of the continent cannot even see the stars at certain months of the year since they are below the horizon. This cross-shaped constellation has assumed great significance in the cultures of the Southern Hemisphere, even as far back as prehistoric times. The companion is believed to be a main sequence star belonging to the spectral class B2. Estimates of the extent of kauri forest before European settlement in New Zealand are between 1 million and 1.5 million hectares. The stars orbit each other every five years. Our work in New Zealand. It can be seen all year round from almost anywhere in the Australia. The Southern Cross on the New Zealand flag only has four stars, while the Aussie one has six and is more astronomically correct, though any New Zealander will tell you that’s just the Australians being picky. Southern Cross Benefits Limited has an A (Strong) financial strength rating given by Standard & Poor's (Australia) Pty Ltd. In tropical latitudes, the stars can be seen from April to June. Ancient Greeks considered Crux to be a part of Centaurus constellation. A beautiful sight in the southern sky, the Coalsack casts a dark silhouette against the Milky Way’s bright stripe of stars. The New Zealand flag displays the Southern Cross. The Union Jack remained New Zealand's flag until the passage of the New Zealand Ensign Act instituted the current flag in 1902. It is really a multiple star system with a combined apparent magnitude of 0.77, making Acrux the 13th brightest star in the night sky. The Southern Cross, image: Antonio Ferretti (CC BY-SA 4.0). The two stars are separated by four seconds of arc. The North Island of New Zealand has a 'spine' of mountain ranges running through the middle, with gentle rolling farmland on both sides. star. The width-to-length ratio of the flag is 1 to 2. In 1867, New Zealand's flag was similar to the current version, the only difference being that the letters NZ appeared instead of the stars. The most dense display of southern rātā are along the South Island's West Coast. brightest star of the Southern Cross. © Crown Copyright. Image: ESO/S. a blue-white giant star. Usually depicted as four or five stars, it is in fact made up of thousands of stars. It is especially useful for In the South Pacific the date line swings east such that Wallis and Futuna, Fiji, Tonga, and New Zealand's Kermadec Islands have the same date but Samoa is one day earlier. Welcome to New Zealand. The stars that form the cross asterism are just the brightest ones located in the constellation. It continued to be used regularly in New Zealand well into the 1950s, instead of, or in tandem with the New Zealand flag. The Aborigines and the Maori saw the cross as symbolizing animist spirits that were integral in their ancestral beliefs. Consequently, our cities and towns are mostly quite small. There are so many things to do in New Zealand and we have tried them all! As a result of precession, the Southern Cross eventually sank below the horizon for most of the northern hemisphere. Southern Cross Jewellers Princes St Dunedin - Shop. The Southern Cross is also included in the national anthems of Australia and Brazil. Four bright stars form the Let's face it, New Zealand is a long way away from most parts of the world. It pays to be specific when using the term Southern Cross in New Zealand, for apart from its astronomical association, the name has been used for planes, boats, newspapers, and numerous commercial ventures. New Zealand is known for a lot of natural wonders, and Aurora Australis (The Southern Lights) has to be one of the most wonderful of all. The Aborigines saw Crux and the Coalsack Nebula as marking the head of the “Emu in the Sky.”. The Royal Navy promoted James Cook to Captain following his return and had a new mission for him, to find Terra Australis Incognita, the unknown southern land. Both located in the North Island of New Zealand, Auckland is the largest city in New Zealand and Wellington is the Capital City of New Zealand. There are over 3000 glaciers larger than one hectare with the longest glacier being the Tasman Glacier at 23.5km. Crux is bordered by the constellations Centaurus (which surrounds it on three sides) on the east, north and west, and Musca to the south. Here are 25 Interesting Facts about New Zealand that you probably didn’t know before reading this! Brunier. The star is classified as a Beta Cephei variable with three different pulsation periods. Two of the brightest stars that form the cross, Alpha Crucis and Beta Crucis, are among the brightest stars in the sky and easily visible from the southern hemisphere. The Southern Cross was an important navigational benchmark for sailors. It lies at a distance of 228 light years from the solar system. Photo: Shutterstock. The Southern Cross was rediscovered by Europeans in the Age of Discovery, in the period from the early 15th century to the early 17th century. Southern Cross Medical Library. It has an absolute magnitude of -4.14. Alpha Crucis or Acrux, at the foot of the cross, is the Aviators and sailors sometimes refer to this point as the “south polar pit” because there are no bright stars marking it. It was named by 16th-cenury European explorers, WHO and EU join together to support COVID-19 response and systems strengthening in Asia. The Southern Cross is a pattern of stars (constellation) in The cross finding the direction south. Image: ESO, Claus Madsen. It is the 14th The Southern Cross is also featured prominently on the flags of several southern nations, including Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Samoa. The signalling flag displayed the red stars of the Southern Cross inside a white disc. The first documented example of discovery of the Southern Cross was found in Ancient Greece around 1000 BC. To be eligible for this policy, you must: a. hold a current New Zealand work visa or visitor visa; b. be exempt from the requirements to hold a visa to New Zealand… In turn, Australians are still seeking new symbols. The spiritual connection of Māori to maunga dates back hundreds of years, and their holistic attachment to the land is why they are so fervently respected. Like Mimosa, Delta Crucis is believed to be a Beta Cephei-type variable. The Southern Cross was also found depicted on a stone engraving in Machu Picchu. 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