Crux is a constellation located in the southern sky in a bright portion of the Milky Way, and is the smallest but one of the most distinctive of the 88 modern constellations. Its name is Latin for cross, and it is dominated by a cross-shaped or kite-likeasterism that is commonly known as the Southern Cross.
Predominating the asterism is the most southerly and brightest star—the blue-white Alpha Crucis or Acrux—followed by four other stars, descending in clockwise order by magnitude: Beta, Gamma (one of the closest red giants to Earth), Delta and Epsilon Crucis. Many of these brighter stars are members of the Scorpius–Centaurus Association, a large but loose group of hot blue-white stars that appear to share common origins and motion across the southern Milky Way. Two star systems have been found to have planets. The constellation also contains four Cepheid variables visible to the naked eye under optimum conditions. Crux also contains the bright and colourful open cluster known Jewel Box (NGC 4755), and to the southwest, the extensive dark nebula known as the Coalsack Nebula.
The Māori name for the Southern Cross is Te Punga ("the anchor"). It is thought of as the anchor of Tama-rereti's waka (the Milky Way), while the Pointers are its rope.
The most prominent feature of Crux is the distinctive asterism known as the Southern Cross. It has great significance in the cultures of the southern hemisphere, particularly of New Zealand, and Australia, whose pioneers were colloquially referred to as sons and daughters of the Southern Cross.
"Southern Cross" is also a 1982 song by the classic rock group Crosby, Stills and Nash, written by Rick Curtis, Michael Curtis, and Stephen Stills. This song was also covered byJimmy Buffett and is commonly played at his concerts.
The 1981 Black Sabbath album Mob Rules features the song "The Sign of the Southern Cross", whose lyrics were written by then member and vocalist Ronnie James Dio.
Mark Twain's travelogue Following the Equator features Twain remarking on the viewing the Southern Cross for the first time, "It is ingeniously named, for it looks just as a cross would look if it looked like something else."