Good morning Roger, Several nations in the Southern Hemisphere include the Southern Cross on the flags (Australia, NZ, etc.) Unfortunately, too many (including Australia) retain the Union Jack.
Perhaps the most attractive is the relatively young flag of the Provincia del Tierra del Fuego of Argentina which combines a stylised outline of the province, with an albatross forming the junction between land and Atlantic Ocean, plus the Southern Cross (URL: http://flagspot.net/flags/ar-v.html) The Australian flag is described officially by the Australian government at http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/symbols/flag.cfm with details of its history etc. Here you will find why Australian kids are taught that the large single star is the FEDERATION star (not "confederation") with seven points representing the states and territories of the Commonwealth. There is no connection at all between the Federation Star and Alpha Centauri. However, I agree that few Australians know that Alpha Centauri is the SECOND closest star to Earth. Rhetorically I could ask why would they know? After all, it is depressing to find how many people have little idea of earth geography let alone that of the heavens! Every visiting Northern Hemisphere field-based scientist who I escorted around parts of Australia became very excited when camping under the stars and they saw the Southern Cross and the Clouds of Magellan for the first time. They had a similar reaction to seeing kangaroos and koalas in the wild. To me, these are just background, always there and easy to see if you know where to look. But I got the same buzz when I saw Polaris for the first time during field work in Canada. Wow! (Some of us are easily amused!). Regardless of the hemisphere, the sheer pleasure of camping under the stars on a fine moon-free night is fantastic. Cheers, John John Pickard [email protected] Cloudy Sydney, Australia 38o 39.6'S 151o 06.3'E ----- Original Message ----- From: Roger Bailey To: Richard Mallett ; Sundial Mailing List Sent: Wednesday, January 26, 2011 4:49 PM Subject: A Stellar Flag The Australian national flag does not show a sundial but it is of astronomical interest as a stellar flag. It shows the Southern Cross and another star to the lower left. When visiting Australia, I would often ask about this single star on the left. Everyone knew about the Southern Cross but not this bright star. Most told me it was the Confederation star, with seven points to represent the six original states in Australia and the territories. This is what they are taught in school. Nobody I asked knew the significance of the real star depicted on the flag, Alpha Centauri, the multiple star closest to earth, 4.37 light years away. Look up! The stars are real with individual characteristics, histories and personalities. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_Centauri, The sun is not the centre of the universe. Regards, Roger Bailey ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------- https://lists.uni-koeln.de/mailman/listinfo/sundial
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