Diamond Cross

The Diamond Cross is an asterism in the southern constellation Carina. The Diamond Cross is composed of four bright stars: Beta, Theta, Upsilon and Omega Carinae. These four bright stars create an almost perfect diamond shape, hence the name "Diamond Cross". The entire asterism is visible to all observers south of 20°N latitude. It bears a striking resemblance to Crux (The Southern Cross) and the False Cross, and, like them, it lacks a central star in its cross pattern, creating a diamond-shaped or kite-like appearance. Both the Diamond Cross and the False Cross are sometimes mistaken for the true cross Crux, although the False Cross has always been a worse deceiver than the Diamond Cross, because most of its stars have approximately the same declinations as the stars of Crux.

References

• Introduction to the Southern Sky
• Southern Sky Photos
• Deepsky Observer's Companion

See also

• Vela constellation