Northern Cross

American  

noun

Astronomy.

1. six stars in the constellation Cygnus, arranged in the form of a cross.

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Northern Cross British  

noun

1. a group of the five brightest stars that form a large cross in the constellation Cygnus

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Etymology

Origin of Northern Cross

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

At 11.5 feet, waters would spill north along Lelong Street, flood the viaduct at Highway 87 and Alma Avenue, and risks flooding properties in San Jose’s Northern Cross neighborhood.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 8, 2023

The Chelsea Gems from Eld Inlet, Washington, were likened to “anise and buttered truffle”; the Northern Cross from Fisherman’s Island, Virginia, “salted parsnip and green onion.”

From Time • Aug. 12, 2014

And I want you to begin with the Northern Cross.

From Earth and Sky Every Child Should Know Easy studies of the earth and the stars for any time and place by Rogers, Julia Ellen

Our next map shows Cygnus, a constellation especially remarkable for the large and striking figure that it contains, called the Northern Cross, Aquila the Eagle, the Dolphin, and the little asterisms Sagitta and Vulpecula.

From Astronomy with an Opera-glass A Popular Introduction to the Study of the Starry Heavens with the Simplest of Optical Instruments by Serviss, Garrett Putman

Mr. Proctor notes that in 1866 a star, in the constellation Northern Cross, suddenly shone with eight hundred times its former luster, afterward rapidly diminishing in luster.

From Ragnarok : the Age of Fire and Gravel by Donnelly, Ignatius