- GACRUX (Gamma Crucis). In our “western” star lore, the stars with proper names come from the set that could be seen from the lands of the ancient middle east and Arabia, and do not include those of the far southern hemisphere, which is largely invisible below the horizon from northern lands. Yet those who needed the stars to find their way, the old navigators, also needed quick names for some of the stars and just made them up. “Gacrux” is a prime example of such a star, its name deriving strictly from its Greek letter name, Gamma Crucis, the third-brightest star in the constellation Crux, the Southern Cross.
- Louisiana (Wikipedia)
Louisiana (French: La Louisiane [la lwizjan]; Spanish: La Luisiana) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is bordered by the state of Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, Mississippi to the east, and the Gulf of Mexico to the south; a large part of its eastern boundary is demarcated by the Mississippi River. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 20th in land area and the 25th in population, with roughly 4.6 million residents. Reflecting its French heritage, Louisiana is the only U.S. state with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are equivalent to counties, making it one of only two U.S. states not subdivided into counties (the other being Alaska and its boroughs). The state’s capital is Baton Rouge, and its largest city is New Orleans, with a population of roughly 383,000 people.