The Southern Stars

Abstract

What do northerners envision when they think about nights of tropical splendor? Whether from the beaches of Florida and the Caribbean islands or from the deck of an ocean liner cruising through southern seas, our image is of clear, balmy nights under skies brilliant with stars and perhaps the Moon languidly passing behind a small cloud or two. Is this vision based on reality, or is it a figment of the imagination of those whose business it is to lure us from the cold northern cities into the warmth and charm of the south? For the most part, the answer is that this image is real.