The Southern Cross in a Southern Sky

Have you ever seen the Southern Cross? This famous constellation is best seen from Earth's Southern Hemisphere. Captured from Rio de Janeiro , Brazil , the four bright stars that mark the Southern Cross are visible just above the horizon in the featured image . On the left of this constellation, also known as The Crux , is the orange star Gamma Crucis . The band of stars, dust, and gas rising through the middle of the image mosaic is part our Milky Way Galaxy . Just to the right of the Southern Cross is the dark Coal Sack Nebula , and the bright nebula at the top of the image is the Carina Nebula . The Southern Cross is such a famous constellation that it is depicted on the national flags of Australia and New Zealand . Follow APOD on: Facebook , Google Plus , or Twitter