✧ The Pointers The Pointers are an asterism in Centaurus. ⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣠⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤● ⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣠⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠖⠒⠒⠒⠒⠚⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠁ ●⠒⠒⠒⠒⠚⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠁ Type Asterism Constellation Centaurus Stars 2 More information about The Pointers Alpha Centauri and Beta Centauri sit to the east of the cross, and a line drawn through them runs straight into it. That matters more than it sounds, because there are two cross-shaped patterns in this part of the sky and only one of them is the Southern Cross. The pointers settle it. Alpha Centauri is also the nearest star system to our own, at 4.3 light years, and almost any telescope will separate it into two stars orbiting each other. Confusingly, in the northern hemisphere the same name is used for the two stars at the end of the Big Dipper bowl, which point at Polaris. Etymology From English Reading the Pointers Literally the ones that point The evolution of The Pointers over time -50,000 years ⢀⡀ Rigil Kentaurus ●⠈⠉⠉⠑⠒⠒⠲⠤⠤⢤⣀⣀⣀ ⠉⠉⠉⠒● Hadar now ⠠⠤⠤● Hadar ● Rigil Kentaurus +50,000 years ⢠● Rigil Kentaurus ⡴⠁ ⢀⠜⠁ ⡠⠋ ⢀⡜⠁ ⣠⠊ ⢀⡔⠁ ⢀⠞ ⡰⠃ ⢀⡞ ⣠⠊ ⢀⡔⠁ ⢀⠞ ⡰⠃ ⢀⠞ ⡠⠋ ⢀⠜⠁ ⢠⠏ ⡴⠁ ● Hadar Over 50,000 years either way the longest side of this figure changes by 1641%, and the furthest any of its stars travels is 81.5 degrees. Proper motion only: this is the shape changing, not the sky turning or the pole moving. curl 'skymap.sh/The%20Pointers/evolution.gif' where it is tonight: skymap.sh/The Pointers