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Astronomy of the Brazilian Flag

The Stars on the Brazilian Flag
Stars Visible in the Morning?
The Stars in Mirror Image

See also:

The Stars on the Brazilian Flag

Unlike the stars on the American flag, each particular star on the Brazilian flag represents one particular state. All stars are actually present in the night sky, which is depicted as if seen from above (i.e. from outside the illusory 'globe' that the night sky appears to be when seen from Earth), and positioned as they would have been on 15 November 1889 at 08:30 over Rio de Janeiro. There are 5 orders of magnitude (.30, .25, .20, .14 and .10 times 1/14 of the width of the flag respectively). These magnitudes do not directly correspond to the astronomical magnitudes, but are relative to them. (The stars are identified by colour on the image to their right -- these colours do not correspond to their real colour, either astronomically or on the flag)

State Star Constellation Size

Amazonas Alpha Canis Minoris (Procyon) Canis Minor, the Lesser Dog 1

Mato Grosso Alpha Canis Majoris (Sirius) Canis Major, the Greater Dog 1

Amapá Beta Canis Majoris (Mirzam) Canis Major, the Greater Dog 3

Rondônia Gamma Canis Majoris (Muliphen) Canis Major, the Greater Dog 4

Roraima Delta Canis Majoris (Wezen) Canis Major, the Greater Dog 2

Tocantins Epsilon Canis Majoris (Adhara) Canis Major, the Greater Dog 2

Pará Alpha Virginis (Spica) Virgo, the Virgin 1

Piauí Alpha Scorpii (Antares) Scorpius, the Scorpion 1

Maranhão Beta Scorpii (Graffias) Scorpius, the Scorpion 3

Ceará Epsilon Scorpii Scorpius, the Scorpion 2

Alagoas Theta Scorpii (Sargas) Scorpius, the Scorpion 2

Sergipe Iota Scorpii Scorpius, the Scorpion 3

Paraíba Kappa Scorpii Scorpius, the Scorpion 3

Rio Grande do Norte Lambda Scorpii (Shaula) Scorpius, the Scorpion 2

Pernambuco Mu Scorpii Scorpius, the Scorpion 3

Mato Grosso do Sul Alpha Hydrae (Alphard) Hydra, the Water Serpent 2

Acre Gamma Hydrae Hydra, the Water Serpent 3

São Paulo Alpha Crucis (Acrux) Crux, the Southern Cross 1

Rio de Janeiro Beta Crucis (Becrux) Crux, the Southern Cross 2

Bahia Gamma Crucis (Gacrux) Crux, the Southern Cross 2

Minas Gerais Delta Crucis Crux, the Southern Cross 3

Espírito Santo Epsilon Crucis Crux, the Southern Cross 4

Rio Grande do Sul Alpha Trianguli Australe Triangulum Australe, the Southern Triangle 2

Santa Catarina Beta Trianguli Australe Triangulum Australe, the Southern Triangle 3

Paraná Gamma Trianguli Australe Triangulum Australe, the Southern Triangle 3

Goiás Alpha Carinae (Canopus) Carina, the Keel of Argo 1

Territory Star Constellation Size

Distrito Federal Sigma Octantis (Polaris Australis) Octans, the Octant 5

State	Star	Constellation	Size
Amazonas	Alpha Canis Minoris (Procyon)	Canis Minor, the Lesser Dog	1
Mato Grosso	Alpha Canis Majoris (Sirius)	Canis Major, the Greater Dog	1
Amapá	Beta Canis Majoris (Mirzam)	Canis Major, the Greater Dog	3
Rondônia	Gamma Canis Majoris (Muliphen)	Canis Major, the Greater Dog	4
Roraima	Delta Canis Majoris (Wezen)	Canis Major, the Greater Dog	2
Tocantins	Epsilon Canis Majoris (Adhara)	Canis Major, the Greater Dog	2
Pará	Alpha Virginis (Spica)	Virgo, the Virgin	1
Piauí	Alpha Scorpii (Antares)	Scorpius, the Scorpion	1
Maranhão	Beta Scorpii (Graffias)	Scorpius, the Scorpion	3
Ceará	Epsilon Scorpii	Scorpius, the Scorpion	2
Alagoas	Theta Scorpii (Sargas)	Scorpius, the Scorpion	2
Sergipe	Iota Scorpii	Scorpius, the Scorpion	3
Paraíba	Kappa Scorpii	Scorpius, the Scorpion	3
Rio Grande do Norte	Lambda Scorpii (Shaula)	Scorpius, the Scorpion	2
Pernambuco	Mu Scorpii	Scorpius, the Scorpion	3
Mato Grosso do Sul	Alpha Hydrae (Alphard)	Hydra, the Water Serpent	2
Acre	Gamma Hydrae	Hydra, the Water Serpent	3
São Paulo	Alpha Crucis (Acrux)	Crux, the Southern Cross	1
Rio de Janeiro	Beta Crucis (Becrux)	Crux, the Southern Cross	2
Bahia	Gamma Crucis (Gacrux)	Crux, the Southern Cross	2
Minas Gerais	Delta Crucis	Crux, the Southern Cross	3
Espírito Santo	Epsilon Crucis	Crux, the Southern Cross	4
Rio Grande do Sul	Alpha Trianguli Australe	Triangulum Australe, the Southern Triangle	2
Santa Catarina	Beta Trianguli Australe	Triangulum Australe, the Southern Triangle	3
Paraná	Gamma Trianguli Australe	Triangulum Australe, the Southern Triangle	3
Goiás	Alpha Carinae (Canopus)	Carina, the Keel of Argo	1
Territory	Star	Constellation	Size
Distrito Federal	Sigma Octantis (Polaris Australis)	Octans, the Octant	5

Data from original annex to Brazilian Law (in Portuguese)
Herman De Wael, 20 January 1998

Star and constellation names translated into scientific and English (and some star names added) by Kjell Roll Elgsaas , 22 January 1998

Stars Visible in the Morning?

Some time ago, someone in Brazil wrote to Flags of the World to say that Herman de Wael's statement that the stars on the Brazilian flag represent the sky as it was above Rio de Janeiro at 20:30 (i.e., 8:30 in the evening) on 15 November 1889 was incorrect. [This statement has since been corrected, above--Ed.] The writer stated that the time was correctly 08:30 (i.e., in the morning). An article in Portuguese by a Brazilian astronomer, Professor Paulo Araújo Duarte of the Federal University of Santa Catarina, bears this out, saying "In truth, the creators of our republican flag intended to represent the stars in the sky at Rio de Janeiro at 8:30 in the morning on 15 November 1889, the moment at which the constellation of the Southern Cross was on the meridian of Rio de Janeiro and the longer arm [of the cross] was vertical." Another article, citing "O Céu da Bandeira (The Sky of the Flag)" by J. R. V. Costa says the precise hour was actually 08:37. This last article is one of the best overall discussions of the history of the Brazilian flag anywhere; it includes the designer of the flag's explanation of his intentions, at least regarding the stars.
Joseph McMillan, 2 August 2002

I'm not sure of this. If we are speaking of seeing stars, 8:30 in the morning is inappropriate, but in the evening it is possible. Of course stars are always here even when we can't see them.
Jaume Ollé, 2 August 2002

My original thought was the same as Jaume's--who would put the stars on the flag as seen at a time of day when they couldn't be seen? (And I don't believe there is any time of year when the stars are visible over Rio at 8:30 in the morning.) However, Jorge Candeias has made clear that the expression no dia in this context in the legislation means "in the morning." It now seems to me that there are three pieces of evidence, each strong in its own right and collectively conclusive, that the stars on the Brazilian flag are intended to represent the sky over Rio at 8:30 a.m. on 15 November 1889, not at 8:30 p.m. (20:30) that evening:

Verbal: The flag law says 8:30, not 20:30. This language is not in the 1889 decree but was added much later, at a time when I believe the Brazilian Congress would have written 20:30 if it meant 20:30.
Astronomical: The point of specifying the time is that the constellation of the Southern Cross (Crux australis, Cruzeiro do sul) was at the meridian of Rio with Gamma crucis and Alpha crucis aligned vertically. This is what the flag shows and, according to astronomers, occurred at either 08:30 or 08:37 (in the morning). If I haven't forgotten all the astronomy I ever learned--which wasn't a great deal, but enough--twelve hours later the Cruzeiro would have appeared inverted between Sigma octantis and the horizon, if indeed it were above the horizon at all.
Historical: A quick review of the history of the proclamation of the republic shows that it happened in the morning. The coup began with a gathering of officers at about 2:00 a.m. (da madrugada). The cabinet, having gotten word of military plotting overnight, met at the General Headquarters at 6:00 a.m. At about 9:00 a.m., rumors were circulating among the soldiers and civilian population that the cabinet had resigned, that the prime minister had requested the army to guarantee his safety and that of his colleagues and, by 10:45, General Deodoro da Fonseca, the coup leader, was being carried through the streets in triumph.

Now I'm still not clear what precisely happened at 8:30 that is supposed to make it the signal moment in the establishment of the republic. I suspect that some mystically-minded republican noted that the Cruzeiro was at the meridian at 08:30 and decided that whatever was going on at that moment was the decisive step.
Joseph McMillan, 5 August 2002

I think that's indeed the more likely possibility. It could also be a post-factum thing: since an upright Cruzeiro makes a better symbol than a Cruzeiro in some other position, it was adopted without further thought. Later on, after being asked repeatedly about the meaning of the symbol, someone cooked up that explanation as a fancy way to keep meaning-buffs happy.
Jorge Candeias, 5 August 2002

The Stars in Mirror Image

I would point out that the stars on the Brazilian flag are never visible as shown, because the flag portrays them as they would be seen by an imaginary observer an infinite distance above Rio standing outside the firmament in which the stars are considered to be placed. Thus Beta crucis appears to the right of the constellation and Delta crucis to the left, in mirror image of the way they actually appear in the sky (and, coincidentally, the way they appear on the Brazilian coat of arms.
Joseph McMillan, 5 August 2002