• A reader asked us, When can I see the Southern Cross in Hawaii? The answer is now, but you'll have to look for it at just the right place and time. Toward the end of every year and the start of the new year, Hawaiians can see the Southern Cross - which is officially

known as the constellation Crux - in the southern sky very briefly before dawn. The Southern Cross stands close to upright, but quite low in the Hawaiian sky. Notice the two nearby stars, Rigel Kentaurus and Hadar, in the constellation Centaurus. Rigel Kentaurus is known to most of us by another name. It's Alpha Centauri, the star system nearest to Earth at a little more than four light-years away. It and Hadar point to the Southern Cross.
• Hawaii is at 21 degrees N. latitude. You'll be able to see the Southern Cross before dawn there for at least another month. Are you south of Hawaii's latitude? Then you can see the Southern Cross, Rigel Kentaurus and Hadar all higher in the sky before dawn now. From Australia or New Zealand now - or South America or South Africa - Crux is circumpolar. That is, it circles around the sky's southern pole and appears for most, if not all, of the night.
• How can I know if the Southern Cross is visible in my sky? If you know a bit about the sky, then there is one surefire way to know if the Southern Cross is visible in your sky. When the easy-to-find constellation Cassiopeia the Queen is visible in

your sky, the Southern Cross is below your horizon. So, for example, Cassiopeia lights up Hawaiian skies on winter evenings, but it sets beneath Hawaii's northern horizon several hours before sunrise. As Cassiopeia sets, the Southern Cross rises.
• Meanwhile, for latitudes north of Hawaii (for example, the southernmost continental U.S.), Cassiopeia is circumpolar. It circles endlessly around the sky's north

(Continued on page 13)