Which constellation is shown on Samoa's national flag?

The constellation shown on Samoa’s national flag is the Southern Cross.

Samoa’s flag has a red field with a blue canton at the upper hoist. Inside that blue rectangle is the Southern Cross, represented by four larger white stars and a smaller central star. The constellation is especially associated with countries in the Southern Hemisphere, where it is visible in the night sky.

The present design was adopted on 24 February 1949, when Samoa was still known as Western Samoa. Tupua Tamasese Meaʻole and Malietoa Tanumafili II are credited with designing it; both later became joint heads of state when Samoa became independent in 1962.

A useful detail is that the earliest 1948 version showed only four stars. The fifth, smaller star was added in 1949. Samoa’s Southern Cross can be mistaken for the star patterns on the flags of Australia or New Zealand, but the arrangement, colours and surrounding flag designs are different.