Gacrux / Gamma Crucis 2?
Andrea Dupree, Ronald Gilliland, NASA and ESA
(Larger ultraviolet image -- more).
Gacrux is the 23rd brightest star in the sky. Take a look at the list of the Brightest Stars ...
The name Gacrux is probably a coinage of the American astronomer, Elijah H. Burritt, who published several editions of an astronomical atlas between 1833 and 1856.
Gacrux (γ Cru / γ Crucis / Gamma Crucis) is the third brightest star in constellation Crux (the Southern Cross) and one of the brightest stars in the nighttime sky.
Gacrux has evolved off of the main sequence to become a red giant star, and may even be evolving past the helium-burning stage. It is also semi-variable with a period of about 90 days.
Gacrux Gamma Crucis
Garnet Star Mu Cephei
Gatria Gamma Trianguli Australis
Gianfar Lambda Draconis
Giedi Alpha Capricorni
Gienah Gurab Gamma Corvi
Giennah Epsilon Cygni
Girtab Kappa Scorpii
Gomeisa Beta Canis Minoris
Gorgonea Tertia Rho Persei ...
Gamma Crucis (Gacrux) forms the top of the cross. The reported distance may be erroneous; it's been calculated from the visual and absolute magnitudes. The resulting parallax is so large that it should be measurable.
Crux, the Southern Cross, is so dominated by the four stars that make it (Acrux, Mimosa, Gacrux, and Delta Cru) that we tend to pay little attention to the others that inhabit the constellation.
Gacrux (Gamma Cru)
The Southern Cross is only visible form sites farther south than 27 degrees north latitude. At the time of Christ, however, it was visible from the latitude of Jerusalem (almost 32 degrees N). Crux points almost due north-south.
From the top of the cross Gacrux(gamma crucis) trace a line south to Acrux (alpha crucis) and continue about 4.5 times that distance and you will get near the celestial south pole.
Acrux (α Cru), Atria (α TrA), Gacrux (γ Cru), Hadar (Agena, β Cen), Miaplacidus (β Car), Mimosa (Becrux, β Cru), Rigil Kentaurus (Toliman, α Cen), Scutulum (or Aspidiske, ι Car).
Named stars: Alpha Cru (Acrux), Beta Crux (Becrux), Gamma Crux (Gacrux)
Info: A small constellation that contains bright stars and a lot of star clusters.
Cygnus (Swan/Northern Cross) ...
It is sometimes called Becrux, from its Bayer name, analogous to Acrux (Alpha Crucis) and Gacrux (Gamma Crucis). A bluish-white giant of spectral class B0 III, its apparent magnitude of 1.28 makes it one of the 20 brightest stars in the sky.
The second-brightest star is Becrux or Mimosa (Beta Cru); the third-brightest is Gacrux (Gamma Cru). The Jewel Box (also known as Kappa Crucis) is an open cluster of about 100 stars in the Southern Cross.
brightest star is sometimes called Acrux, a name applied by navigators from its scientific designation Alpha Crucis. It is actually a double star, divisible through small telescopes into two sparkling blue-white points. The names Becrux and Gacrux ...
 See also: Sky, Star, Constellation, Giant, Light
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