Starwatch: How to Identify the Scorpion, Mythical Adversary of Orion

This week, stargazers have an opportunity to identify Scorpius, the Scorpion, one of the well-known zodiacal constellations. In mythology, Scorpius is the creature sent to kill Orion, the hunter. Consequently, the two constellations are positioned on opposite sides of the sky; when Scorpius rises, Orion has already set. The full constellation is visible from more southerly latitudes, but for observers in the UK, it can be frustratingly elusive because it remains so low that it never fully rises above the horizon. The chart shows the view looking low in the southern sky from London at 11pm BST on 24 July. The constellation stays in roughly the same region of the sky all week, but on this night, the moon also graces the scene. The bright waxing gibbous moon lies close to Antares, the red-orange star marking the Scorpion's heart. Its color can be striking, resembling a ruby jewel, though from Britain it often appears to twinkle due to being observed through thicker, more turbulent air near the horizon. Antares means "rival of Mars," a reference to its reddish hue. In reality, it is a red supergiant star, vastly larger than the Sun and approaching the end of its life.