Scorpius Constellation: Summer's Most Dramatic Sky Pattern

If you want to impress someone who's never really looked at the stars, take them outside on a clear summer night and point out Scorpius. Unlike most constellations, which, let's be honest, require a fair amount of imagination to see, Scorpius actually looks like what it's named after. The curved tail, the claws, the fiery red heart, it's all there, sprawled across the southern sky like a living creature.

Finding Scorpius

You'll spot Scorpius low in the southern sky during summer evenings from the Northern Hemisphere. If you're in the Southern Hemisphere, it rides much higher and is even more impressive. Here's how to locate it:

1. Face south on a clear evening between June and August (Northern Hemisphere viewers).
2. Look for a bright, distinctly reddish-orange star relatively low above the horizon, that's Antares, the scorpion's heart.
3. From Antares, trace a line of stars curving downward and to the left (east), forming the scorpion's arched tail. The tail ends in a pair of close stars, Shaula and Lesath, known as the "Stinger."
4. Above and to the right of Antares, three stars form a vertical line, those are the scorpion's head and claws.

Antares: The Rival of Mars

The constellation's standout star is Antares (Alpha Scorpii), a red supergiant roughly 700 times the diameter of our Sun. If you placed Antares where the Sun is, its surface would extend past the orbit of Mars. The name "Antares" comes from the Greek "anti-Ares," meaning "rival of Mars", because its red-orange color mimics the planet Mars when the two appear near each other in the sky.

Antares is a variable star, slowly pulsing in brightness over a period of about 5.5 years. It also has a companion star, Antares B, a hot, blue-white star that's extremely difficult to see because Antares A's glare overwhelms it. In telescopes of 6 inches or larger, you might catch a glimpse of this companion during moments of steady seeing. Some observers describe its color as pale green, a beautiful contrast against the red primary.

Deep-Sky Treasures in Scorpius

Scorpius sits in one of the richest stretches of the Milky Way, which means it's packed with clusters and nebulae. Here are the highlights you shouldn't miss:

The Mythology

In Greek mythology, Scorpius was the scorpion sent by the goddess Artemis (or Gaia, depending on the version) to kill the hunter Orion. The two were placed on opposite sides of the sky as a result, when Scorpius rises in the east, Orion sets in the west, and the two are never visible at the same time. This actually checks out astronomically: the two constellations are roughly 180 degrees apart on the celestial sphere.

The story adds a nice layer to summer observing. As you watch Scorpius climb the evening sky, Orion, the dominant constellation of winter, has already disappeared below the western horizon. You're literally watching one mythological scene transition to another as the seasons turn.

Scorpius for Astrophotographers

The area around Scorpius is a goldmine for widefield astrophotography. The combination of bright stars, dark nebulae, and colorful emission regions makes it one of the most photogenic stretches of sky. Key targets include:

• The Rho Ophiuchi complex, a riot of blue reflection nebulae, dark clouds, and emission regions centered just north of Antares.
• The Cat's Paw Nebula (NGC 6334), a large emission nebula best captured with H-alpha filters.
• The entire tail region, a widefield shot from Antares to the Stinger captures an extraordinary sweep of the Milky Way.

Even a camera on a tripod with a 50mm lens can capture a beautiful frame of Scorpius against the Milky Way. If you're new to imaging, our beginner's astrophotography guide walks you through the basics.