The Scorpion
| Abbreviation: | Sco |
| Genitive: | Scorpii |
| Origin: | [antiquity] |
| Fully Visible: | 90°S – 44°N |
Scorpius is a member of the zodiac. This is one of the most ancient of constellations, harking back to Babylonia. In Greek mythology, the scorpion is inevitably associated with Orion. There are several variations of the story but Orion and the scorpion fight to the death and Zeus places them in opposite sides of the sky afterwards.
Notable Features
| Visible Named Stars | ||
|---|---|---|
| α Sco | Antares | This first magnitude star has a distinctly reddish hue. It sometimes appears as Vespertilio (from the Latin vespertilio meaning 'the bat') in older star atlases and catalogues. It also appears as Kalb al Akrab (from the Arabic qalb al‑ʿaqrab meaning 'the heart of the scorpion') in Mohammad Al Achsasi Al Mouakket's calendarium. In Hindu astronomy, α Sco, σ Sco and τ Sco together are known as Jyeshtha, from the Sanskrit jyeṣṭha meaning 'the eldest'. |
| β Sco | Acrab | This star sometimes appears as Graffias (from the Greek Γραψαῖος meaning 'the crab') in older star atlases and catalogues. In Hindu astronomy, β Sco, δ Sco and π Sco together are known as Anuradha, from the Sanskrit anūrādhā meaning 'following rādhā'. (The stars α Lib, β Lib, γ Lib and ι Lib are sometimes known as 'rādhā'.) |
| δ Sco | Dschubba | This star sometimes appears as Iclarkrau (from the Arabic iklīl al‑ʿaqrab meaning 'the crown of the scorpion') in older star atlases and catalogues. |
| ε Sco | Larawag | This name of this star originates with the Wardaman people of Australia. |
| θ Sco | Sargas | This star sometimes appears as Girtab (from the Sumerian GIR.TAB meaning 'the scorpion') in older star atlases and catalogues. |
| λ Sco | Shaula | This star appears as Thanih al Shaoulat (from the Arabic al‑thānī ash‑shawlāh meaning 'the second raised tail') in Mohammad Al Achsasi Al Mouakket's calendarium. |
| ν Sco | Jabbah | In Chinese astronomy, this star is known as Jianbi, from Jiàn Bì meaning 'the door bolt'. |
| μ¹ Sco | Xamidimura | This was one of the first spectroscopic binaries discovered. It is also an eclipsing binary. |
| μ² Sco | Pipirima | In Chinese astronomy, this star is known as Shengong, from Shén Gōng meaning 'the changing room'. |
| π Sco | Fang | This star sometimes appears as Nur (from the Persian word for 'bright') in older star atlases and catalogues. |
| ρ Sco | Iklil | This is a triple star system, consisting of a spectroscopic binary plus a companion. Iklil is the brightest member of this system. |
| σ Sco | Alniyat | This third-magnitude multiple star system is located near Antares (α Sco). |
| τ Sco | Paikauhale | This star appears as Al Niyat at Thanih (from the Arabic al‑niyāṭ al‑thānī meaning 'the second artery') in Mohammad Al Achsasi Al Mouakket's calendarium. |
| υ Sco | Lesath | This star appears as Aoul al Shaoulat (from the Arabic awwal ash‑shawlāh meaning 'the first raised tail') in Mohammad Al Achsasi Al Mouakket's calendarium. |
| G Sco | Fuyue | This star was called γ Tel but was reassigned to this constellation in the nineteenth century. |
| Other Interesting Stars | ||
| HD 153950 | Rapeto | This seventh-magnitude star is known to have at least one exoplanet. It is located between η Sco and γ¹/γ² Sco. |
| HIP 79431 | Sharjah | Found just north of Jabbah (ν Sco), this eleventh-magnitude star is known to have at least one exoplanet. |
| WASP‑17 | Dìwö | This twelfth-magnitude star is known to have at least one exoplanet. It is found north of Iklil (ρ Sco). |
| Deep Sky Objects | ||
| M4 | This was the first globular cluster in which individual stars were resolved. It appears as a fuzzy ball in a small telescope. | |
| M6 | Butterfly Cluster | This open star cluster is visible to the naked eye but binoculars will reveal the fainter members. |
| M7 | Ptolemy's Cluster | Easily detectable by the naked eye, this cluster has been known since ancient times. Arab astronomers called it Ibrat Al‑ʿAqrab meaning 'the sting of the scorpion'. |
| M80 | A medium-size telescope can be used to observe this globular cluster. | |
| C69 | Bug Nebula | This bipolar planetary nebula has an incredibly complex structure. At its heart lies a white dwarf star. It appears in the New General Catalogue as number 6302. |
| C75 | This large open cluster, also known as NGC 6124, is accessible through binoculars. | |
| C76 | Northern Jewel Box | This is a distant open star cluster, easily visible through binoculars. It is also catalogued as NGC 6231. |
Copyright © 1995–2023 by L.M. Stockman and David Harper