LÕUNARIST
seostub minu jaoks vaprate maadeavastajatega ja kannibalidega ja Robert Louis Stevensoniga ja nii edasi. Midagi, millest põhjapoolkera elanikud vaid raamatutest loevad. Siin Kauail Lõunaristi küll näha ei lootnud, pole piisavalt ekvaatori lähedal ju. Kuid ennäe imet, ühel tähisel varahommikul istume Pauliga kohvitassidega rõdul (me tõuseme tööpäevadel kell 4) ja vaatame üle vee. Õigem oleks vist öelda, et tuiutame poolärkvel olles pimedusse, päeva esimesest kohvist vaid mõned lonksud rüübatud. Ühtäkki osutab Paul ookeani suunas. “Can it be the Southern Cross?” Tõesti, horisondist veidi kõrgemal moodustavad neli tähte ristimärgi. Tormame ummisjalu tuppa, arvutite taha, googeldama. Ja mis selgub. Ongi Lõunarist! Hawaiil nähtav ainult detsembris ja jaanuaris, ning ka siis üksnes paaril lühikesel koidueelsel tunnil. Vedas meil ajastusega, hullumoodi. Paul kusjuures on Lõunaristi ennegi näinud, kui 2013. aastal Marshalli saartel komandeeringus oli, aga minu jaoks täitsa esmakordne kogemus. Nii äge mu meelest! Nii eksootiline!
Foto laenasin internetist. Söekotiks (The Coalsack) kutsutakse taevalaotuse kõige nähtavamat udukogu. Alpha Centauri aga on, teadagi, meie päikeseüsteemile kõige lähemal asuv tähesüsteem, kiviga visata. Nii umbes nelja valgusaasta kaugusel. Kaks prominentsemat tähte (Alpha Centauri A ja Alpha Centauri B) kannavad hüüdnime "The Pointers", nende järgi on Lõunaristi lihtne leida.
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THE SOUTHERN CROSS is a constellation located in the southern sky in a bright portion of the Milky Way. It is among the MOST EASILY DISTINGUISHED CONSTELLATIONS, as all of its four main stars have an apparent visual magnitude brighter than +2.8, even though it is the smallest of all 88 modern constellations. Its name CRUX is Latin for cross, and it is dominated by a cross-shaped or kite-like asterism.
Crux is not visible north of +20° in the northern hemisphere, and it is circumpolar south of 34°S, which means that it never sets below the horizon. On the celestial sphere, Crux is exactly opposite the constellation Cassiopeia. There is one surefire way to know if the Southern Cross is visible in your sky. When you can see the easy-to-find constellation Cassiopeia, 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.
LATE DECEMBER AND EARLY JANUARY are a good time for those at northerly latitudes – latitude of Hawaii or comparable latitudes to see the Southern Cross, but you’ll have to look for it at just the right place and time of night. Hawaiians can see it in the southern sky briefly before dawn. The Cross stands close to upright, but quite low in the sky. Be sure to find an unobstructed southern horizon!
Source: Wikipedia etc.
Image: Internet
January 26/2019
"We saw the Cross tonight, and it is not large. Not large, and not strikingly bright. It consists of four large stars and one little one. The little one is out of line and further damages the shape. One must ignore the little star, and leave it out of the combination - it confuses everything."― Mark Twain, Following the Equator
