Parents in New Zealand

I mentioned the other day that my parents are in New Zealand. I asked if they had been able to see the Southern Cross. I heard from them today, & here is their response:

Hi, having a great time, the only night was clear for stars was Friday night and we did not know where the southern cross is ( I assume in trhe south but wwe are a little disoriented what with driving on the wrong side of the road sitting on the wrong side of the car-- it is even worse in the passenger seat. see ya later mom and dad

I hope they've had a good time, in spite of the difficulty of being on the wrong side of the road.

Down Under

So my parents are in New Zealand, & my Dad has a blog: The Trigator, but when I tried to make a comment on it, the link for comments wasn't available. 8-( In an e-mail from my Mom the other day, she mentioned that they might visit a planetarium down there. I want to know if they've managed to spot the Southern Cross. It's not as easy to find as the Big Dipper we have here in the Northern Hemisphere. I've had some opportunities to practice in the Clark Planetarium Dome, & with Stellarium. If I remember right, it's in the Milky Way, across from the Magellanic Clouds. Which is probably not a really useful description, but I'm having stupid computer problems, & Stellarium won't open, so that's completely from memory. I hope to one day visit the Southern Hemisphere so I can see it for myself.