Scorpius



The Constellation Scorpius, the Scorpion
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Some constellations do not really look like their names. It takes a lot of imagination to picture the stars of Pegasus as a winged horse, for example. But Scorpius really looks like a scorpion! It has a long, curving tail, and snapping claws, just like the real arachnid. The bright star Antares marks the heart of the scorpion.

Did you know that stars are not all the same color? Some are blue, some are yellow, and some are red. Antares is a star that is so red, even your eye can see the difference. Antares is very bright because it is a very big star (300 times as big as our Sun).

It was the scorpion's sting that killed the great hunter, Orion. So these two enemies are placed far apart in the sky, to keep them out of trouble. Orion is a bright constellation of winter, while Scorpius crawls through the night sky in summer.

Myths about Scorpius

Scorpius



The Constellation Scorpius, the Scorpion
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More than any other constellation, Scorpius resembles its given name. If you live in the northern hemisphere of the Earth, Scorpius crawls across the southern sky, close to the horizon. But if you live in the southern hemisphere, it passes high in the sky. The bright star Antares marks the heart of the arachnid, and its long curving tail trails to the south. The scorpion once had claws, but they were cut off by Julius Ceasar to form the constellation Libra.

Where stars are concerned, whatever you are looking for, you can probably find it in Scorpius. Antares is an unmistakable, brilliant red supergiant star at the heart of the scorpion. One of the largest, brightest globular clusters in the sky is in Scorpius.

The scorpion holds an infamous place in Greek mythology as the slayer of Orion. One story tells that Orion fled the scorpion by swimming the sea to the island of Delos to see his lover, Athena. Apollo, seeking to punish Athena, joined her and challenged her hunting skills, daring her to shoot the black dot that approached in the water. Athena won the challenge, unknowingly killing her lover by doing so.

Myths about Scorpius

Scorpius



The Constellation Scorpius, the Scorpion
Click on image for full size (130K JPEG)
More than any other constellation, Scorpius resembles its given name. It is located low in the south for northern latitudes, but passes high in the sky for viewers in the southern hemisphere. The bright star Antares marks the heart of the arachnid, and its long curving tail trails to the south. The scorpion once had claws, but they were severed by Julius Ceasar to form the constellation Libra.

Where stars are concerned, whatever you are looking for, you can probably find it in Scorpius. Antares is an unmistakable, brilliant red supergiant star at the heart of the scorpion. There are many open clusters, including the spectacular M7 roughly 5 degrees off the tip of the scorpion's tail. As it is nearby, M4 is one of the largest, brightest globular clusters in the sky, visible even with binoculars. As a bonus, it is especially easy to find since it is located only 1.5 degrees west of Antares.

The scorpion holds an infamous place in Greek mythology as the slayer of Orion. One story tells that Orion fled the scorpion by swimming the sea to the island of Delos to see his lover, Athena. Apollo, seeking to punish Athena, joined her and challenged her hunting skills, daring her to shoot the black dot that approached in the water. Athena won the challenge, unknowingly killing her lover by doing so.

Myths about Scorpius


Last modified prior to September, 2000 by the Windows Team

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