When you see the Southern Cross for the first time...

Now that I have been here a little over a month, I finally took the time to stop and look up at night.  I've watched the fireworks, which were up, but they were kind of bright.  And the smoke did in the stars pretty well.  I've been meaning to for a while.  At least when I am close to a computer and can have an idea where I might be looking.

Now, first off, Adelaide is a city.  Its not a big city.  But still it has a lot of lights.  So the big city people might look down on our little square of metropolitan living.  But even with the lights, Adelaide still has a good night sky.  There are a lot of bright stars down here.  Sirius is insanely bright.  It must be that bright up north, but I guess I never really noticed.  Mars is up and quite visible.  I even saw a shooting star.  Seeing a shooting star in Midtown probably means something much bigger is falling from the sky. 

Being in the Southern Hemisphere (some might refer to it as the wrong hemisphere) there are astronomical oddities.  First, Orion is a summer constellation.  Who knew?  Gone is the Big Dipper.  By day, navigating north is easy.  It the way the sun is.  Which also takes getting used to.  But at night we have the Southern Cross.  Which leads you south by way of a dark nebula and a hole in the sky at the southern pole.  Or something like that.  Jimmy tells me great things about the Southern Cross.  I will find an 80' boat and then the Marquesas if I sail off the wind.  At least in my mind.  Growing up you always see the Big Dipper and the North Star.  And even though I have only ever done Northern Hemisphere sailing, I don't associate them.  But the Southern Cross.  That cries out sailing.  And deserted island.  And a beach with a fire and maybe some rum.  And of course it is on the Australian flag.  So now, I can properly guide any and all visitors southward.  Or just show you a group of 5 stars that some one decided was a cross.