Northern Cross

1 6.4

A group of five bright stars shaped like a cross in the constellation Cygnus

noun

Specialized

: Cruz del Norte

So the northern cross is Cygnus the swan, the constellation, which is not only those stars in the cross, but there are other stars where you can imagine wings.
stars of the Northern Cross
known as the Northern Cross

Examples

The great Northern Cross.

Fiction book (1993)
So the northern cross is Cygnus the swan, the constellation, which is not only those stars in the cross, but there are other stars where you can imagine wings.
On clear nights, you can easily spot the Northern Cross in the Cygnus constellation.
The Northern Cross is a recognizable formation of stars used for navigation by stargazers.
Astronomers often refer to the Northern Cross when discussing the layout of the Cygnus constellation.

Surface Forms

Northern Cross singular

Morphology

northern + cross

The meaning — a cross-shaped group of stars located in the northern sky — is directly derivable from 'northern' (relating to the north) and 'cross' (a cross-shaped figure). Although it is a proper name for an asterism and may require encyclopedic knowledge to identify the specific stars, a B1 learner who knows the two constituents can infer the general referent.

Etymology

Northern Cross may come from the picture made by five bright stars that form a clear cross in the sky, with the bright star Deneb at the top. That's why the words Northern and Cross were used, and today Northern Cross means the 'group of stars' that looks like a cross in the northern sky.