Celestial Atlas: Constellations
Crater ←Crux: The Southern Cross→ Cygnus

(possessive form Crucis, abbreviation Cru)
 Crux was visible to the ancient Greeks as the southernmost part of Centaurus, but over the millennia precession moved it too far south to be visible from European latitudes (it is currently visible just north of the tropics and everywhere south of that), and its existence was forgotten. It was rediscovered in the late 16th or 17th century, though exactly when and by whom is a matter of debate. Petrus Plancius mapped a cross in the late 1500's (though in the wrong position), and Bayer's atlas of 1603 showed a cross superimposed on the Centaur's rear legs, with an equally incorrect position (based on Ptolemy's less than stellar measurements). After Edmund Halley made the first accurate measurements of its stars in 1676 things settled down, and the final division of Crux from Centaurus is generally credited to Augustin Royer in 1679.

Historical Maps of Crux
Centaurus from Bayer's 1603 Uranometria, showing a cross, though not in quite the right place
(Image Credit and © Tartu Observatory Virtual Museum; used by permission)
Portion of Bayer's Uranometria showing a version of Crux

From Bode's 1801 Uranographia
(Image Credit and © Tartu Observatory Virtual Museum; used by permission)
Portion of Bode's Uranographia showing the region near Crux

Modern Map of Crux
Modified version of Wikimedia Commons map by Torsten Bronger
Wikimedia Commons map of Crux

Constellations Bordering Crux
(to be added in the next iteration of this page)

Stars in Crux
 Stars that have common names often have multiple names, so the common names shown (if any) cannot be considered authoritative. Right ascension and declination are given in 2000.0 coordinates.

α Cru

β Cru

γ Cru

δ Cru

ε Cru
Celestial Atlas: Constellations
Crater ←Crux: The Southern Cross→ Cygnus