Crux, or the Southern Cross, is a constellation in the southern hemisphere. It is the smallest of the 88 constellations, but also among the brightest, which makes it one of the best known constellations in the southern sky. Its name means "CROSS" in Latin.
Crux has great cultural significance in southern latitudes. Several Aboriginal cultures see Crux and the Coalsack Dark Nebula as the head of the "Emu in the sky," while to others it represents the sky deity Mirrabooka. Before invaders took away the land from the tribes and renamed the constellation to "Southern Cross," Crux was called Mirrabooka, after the wise man whom Biami, an important male Spirit Ancestor in the tales of the tribes of south-eastern Australia, had chosen to help him watch over the tribes. It is said that Biami gave the man lights for his hands and feet and placed him among the stars. The Maori in New Zealand called the cross Te Punga ("the anchor").
