Expert: Tom Whiting - 12/17/2010

Question
A friend with cancer wants to see the Southern Cross and cannot make the long trip to Australia from Florida.  I have heard you can see it from Belize which would be travelable.  Where would be the best location to view the Crux constellation in Belize?  Thank you!

Answer
Hi Lori,
Your friend does not have to leave Florida to see the Southern Cross... it's visible right down on the southern horizon from Miami and points south; for instance, currently it rises and is fully up in the due south at 5:30 am, about 90 minutes before sunrise in Key West, Florida.
At 6:00 am in Miami, currently (mid-December) it sits right on the southern horizon. It is actually a spring/summer constellation, so later in year, this spring, it sits on your South Florida southern horizon around midnight or 1 am local time.  From Miami north to Orlando, all the stars of the Southern Cross are visible except the bottom one.  I saw it, minus the bottom star, from Sanibel Island (Fort Myers) in April of 1986 (along with Halley's comet) at that time, around 1 am local time, down on the southern horizon. So there is no need for one who is ill, to leave the state of Florida.
The only gain from Belize, which is 10 degrees latitude further south, the constellation would be 10 degrees higher, up off the southern horizon at those times. It would also rise about an hour earlier, and further to the east, in the SSE. But there is no way to change the seasonal viewing and early morning times in December... Crux is still a spring/summer constellation no matter where you travel to see it.
Best place to see any star or constellation, is on a clear, moonless night, far away from all the city light glow (also called light pollution). But this is true for any object in the night sky.
Clear Skies,
Tom Whiting
Erie, PA USA