The Legend of Crux

Crux: not one of the original constellations of Ptolemy, this southern constellation is actually part of the constellation of Centaurus. It was made an individual constellation by Amerigo Vespucci who named it the Almond in 1501! No indication of the legality of his state of mind at the time has been passed down to us through history. Members of Magellan's crew called it the Southern Cross in 1520 during their voyage circumnavigating the globe and that designation was officially adopted by Bayer when he included it in his star atlas in 1603.

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