The Southern Cross

Top, the initial view, as best as the camera could render it. Bottom, highlighting the stars and calling the dots that weren't here in reality.

Yesterday, a long lasting dream came to a nice conclusion when I finally spotted the southern cross in light-polluted Melbourne. Some of the stars where really hard to spot and it took me some time standing in a dark corner before my eyes could finally make out the details. I scared a few passers-by - it was worth it.

Now, I finally have a better understanding of the southern night sky. I can find my way if I am ever lost in the Australian desert. A reassuring thought.

The pictures are not great as my camera has a hard time capturing stars. Worse still, blogger has compressed my images which means you'll really have to squint to see it.

Anyhow, I'm glad to have seen it with my own eyes. I'm glad I like to see things with my own eyes instead of naively trusting books. As Ronald Reagan said: Trust, but verify. I wish there was more of that.