Frank,
The Wikipedia article does not say "proper motion," and I'm sure that was
not the reason for correcting the stars' positions on the flag of Brazil.
Rather, the stars may have been carelessly plotted on the original flag
(even if shown more accurately than on the flags of many other countries).
On this flag the star with the highest proper motion is Alpha Centauri,
which moves 3.71 arcseconds per year. This is 0.1 degree since 1889 --
hardly noticeable at the flag's scale.
Roger S.
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On
Behalf Of Frank King
. . .
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Brazil
This article describes the current flag in great detail. It is dominated by
a representation of the night sky over Rio de Janeiro at 08:37 on the
morning of 15 November 1889.
In an intriguing note, the article explains that the positions of the stars
were altered slightly in 1992 to account for proper motion since 1889.
The Brazilians are to be commended for their insistence on precision but
this alteration means that the flag no longer represents the night sky in
November 1889. As such the current flag is a bit of an iconoclast.
I do hope that "Instruction on the Design of the National Flag" is in the
school curriculum in Brazil. No wonder the country is doing well!
The only detail that I would like explained is just what projection is used.
Can James Morrison comment please?
Frank King
Cambridge, UK.
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