| Crux (225 words) |
 | Crux (the cross), commonly known as the Southern Cross, is the smallest of the 88 modern constellations, but also one of the most famous. |
| Its five brightest stars (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Epsilon Crucis) appear on the flags of Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Samoa, except that the New Zealand flag omits Epsilon. |
| With the the lack of a significant pole star in the southern sky (σ Octantis is closest to the pole, but is so faint as to be useless for the purpose), two of the stars of Crux (Alpha and Gamma, Acrux and Gacrux[?] respectively) are commonly used to mark south. |
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