Stars

You are to be forgiven if you've never seen this particular constellation... even if you've been here for a long time. My first few visits to Buenos Aires were so rushed and hurried that I barely thought about the fact that the this was the Southern Hemisphere and the very stars were different... and the fact that my first short stays here were cloudy if not rainy didn't help at all.

It's also a big city and that makes it difficult to see stars even from your rooftop.

Out in the campo it's different. Being 26K from the nearest (very small) town gives you an opportunity to see just why they call the Way milky.

I don't know why I've never before turned my trusty old DSC-s85 on her back and set the timer. But I did this time and got delighted with the above result.

There's no real "pole star" down here on the south side that's really visible with the naked eye... but we have the cross.

All four stars in the Southern Cross move during the seasons but the imaginary intersection of the two lines that your mind draws inside the kite-like object remains fairly stationary*. That gives you and gave the old marineros, the ability to navigate in these waters.

You have to use your imagination... at least a little... to get around down here.

Everyone always has.

*This post contains a factual error as to the use of the Southern Cross in celestial navigation... the part about imagination, however, still holds true.