Southern Cross

Instructions

• Print this page.
• Find a sheet of black paper or thin cardboard.
• Place this page on top of the black paper and poke holes through each of the stars. Use a compass or a thumb tack and it helps if you have a newspaper under the sheet of black paper.
• Take your black paper with the constellation you have just created and hold it up against a bright light and you will see how your constellation would look in the sky.

Other activities

Draw lines between the stars to create your own constellation. Then make a story about your constellation.

Notes

The orientation of your constellation in the night sky will depend on where you are on Earth and at what time of the night you are observing.

If you live south of the equator, you will be able to see the Southern Cross towards the south for most of the year. If you live in the north, close to the equator, it can be seen low in the south between March and July at about 9pm. From most of North America, Europe and Asia it will not be visible.

Written by Grant Nicholson.