Alpha Crucis Sector/meta

TJonesLo Notes (2008)

The History of the Imperium Working Group renamed Alpha Crucis Sector as Alpha Leonis, after the name of a bright star located in the sector. Some non-canon sources may refer to this sector by either name.

WHULorigan Notes (2016)

Due to the fact that the star Alpha Crucis cannot possibly be located in the sector labeled as the Alpha Crucis Sector, an alternative name for the Alpha Crucis Sector put forth by HIWG is the Alpha Leonis Sector, based on the fact that Alpha Leonis is the astronomical name for the star Regulus and the fact that the Alpha Crucis Sector contains the Regulus Subsector. At one time in older Traveller stellar data sets, the world (and star) Regulus was also located in this subsector; however, the current T5SS data has altered the name of the world in the former location of Regulus to "Basilicus" and changed its primary's stellar type to [M2 III / M3 V].

• Basilicus/Regulus (Alpha Crucis 0937)
• TravellerMap: [1]

Interestingly, whereas "Regulus" was the Latin term for a minor king or tribal chieftain, "Basilicus" seems to be derived from Greek "Basilikos", which is related to the Greek term "Basileos", also meaning "king". An alternate historical name for Regulus was "Basiliscus".

It is likely that Alpha Corvi was the actual star originally marked erroneously as Alpha Crucis on the published CT:Traveller Map from ca 1980. The star Alpha Crucis is placed far to close to Earth on this map (though its bearing is approximately correct, it should be 3 Sectors away, not 1). In the 2300AD game by GDW (which used what was considered a highly precise astronomical catalog for its day), Alpha Crucis is placed on this map as well in almost exactly the position that Alpha Corvi would occupy.

In astronomical texts, Alpha Crucis is usually labeled α Cru, whereas Alpha Corvi is labeled α Crv. It is likely that this similarity in notation is where the error occurred.

Alpha Corvi is not a particularly bright or prominent star, however, and would be unlikely to lend its name to a sector.

The star Gamma Crucis, however, would be located in this sector almost due Trailing of Terra at a distance of 27.1pc. It is an M3.5 III Red Giant with Absolute Magnitude -0.52.