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Watch out for the giant scorpion hiding in the summer sky
Scorpius is one of the few constellations that actually resembles its namesake — and this summer is the perfect time to find it.
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The most beautiful of all the zodiacal constellations is now visible, low toward the south-southeast as darkness falls. This is Scorpius the Scorpion. It really does look like a scorpion, one of the few star patterns that readily suggests the mythical form assigned to it by the ancients. Composed of several fairly bright stars, its body is formed by the upper stars of this star pattern; its tail slants toward the horizon, then curves to the left and upward, a fine stream of stars ending in a close pair of stars marking its stinger.
George Lovi (1939-1993), a well-known astronomy lecturer and author, used to say that it always bothered him that a striking star pattern such as Scorpius was made to represent "...a lowly, creepy-crawly thing that has few friends."
In his book, The Stars in Our Heaven, author Peter Lum (1911-1983) provides a perspective like Mr. Lovi's:
"The scorpion . . . is an odd-shaped, insignificant creature, but its sting is out of proportion to its size and, although seldom fatal, is extremely painful; hence it is usually disliked, feared and avoided by anyone who has ever come in contact with him."
Just as Orion is the most striking winter stellar pattern, such a distinction can be claimed for Scorpius for the summer season. Interestingly, one legend has Scorpius representing the creature that stung Orion to death. To honor Orion, the Scorpion was placed opposite him in the sky, so that these celestial antagonists will never meet again. Indeed, when Orion disappears below the western horizon during spring evenings, the Scorpion is poking his head up in the southeast. In addition, they were commonly thought of in opposition to each other: Orion was the constellation of life, Scorpius that of death.
And yet, the whole figure of the scorpion is a magnificent sight — sort of a "celestial fishhook" — and is best appreciated now in a dark sky without any interference from bright moonlight. It really looks like a huge scorpion, with its long stinging tail curled over its back. Two closely spaced stars known as Shaula and Lesath mark the Scorpion's stinger. Astronomy popularizer Hans A. Rey (1898-1977) christened these stars the "Cat's Eyes," noting, "You will find the name quite fitting."
Scorpius is a constellation that can be best appreciated by southerners. Those who live in the far-northern United States, southern Canada or the British Isles will have part or even all of its tail hidden below the southern horizon. Thus, it is well worth seeking out a good, clear horizon to appreciate this majestic figure. As one progresses farther south, the Scorpion slowly climbs the southern sky. Those who live in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, northern Argentina, Uruguay, most of Brazil, northern Chile, and southern Peru see Scorpius high overhead. The Milky Way passes through the lower extremities of the Scorpion. Here, clouds of stars and dark interstellar dust combine in a bewildering array as seen in binoculars and telescopes.
The Scorpion's brightest star is the first magnitude Antares, displaying a reddish hue. Antares appears due south at 10:30 p.m. local daylight time on Independence Day; a month later, you'll find it there two hours earlier as darkness falls. To the ancients, its distinctive red color suggested the planet Mars and the name Antares means literally "The Rival of Ares," Ares being the Greek name for the God of War. There was good reason for this, for unlike the fixed stars, the planets could wander against the starry background, and this ability to move had a magical, god-like quality.