Located in the southern celestial hemisphere, Scorpius is one of the constellations of the zodiac, with a name in Latin meaning scorpion. Identified by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the 2nd century, Scorpius is an ancient constellation that pre-dates the Greeks. Scorpius is a large constellation located in the southern hemisphere near the center of the Milky Way.

	Applicable Information
Visibility In Pacific Northwest	May to August
Best Times To View	June and July
Right Ascension	16.8875h
Declination	−65°
Area	497 square degrees
Main Stars	18
Brightest Object	Antares
Meteor showers	Alpha Scorpiids and Omega Scorpiids
Messier objects	4
Neighboring Constellations	Sagittarius, Ophiuchus, Libra, Lupus, Norma, Ara, Corona Australis

History

The Babylonians called this constellation MUL.GIR.TAB – the ‘Scorpion’, the signs can be literally read as ‘the (creature with) a burning sting’.

In some old descriptions the constellation of Libra is treated as the Scorpion’s claws.

Mythology

In Greek mythology, several myths associated with Scorpio attribute it to Orion. According to one version, Orion boasted to the goddess Artemis and her mother, Leto, that he would kill every animal on Earth. Artemis and Leto sent a scorpion to kill Orion. Their battle caught the attention of Zeus, who raised both combatants to the sky to serve as a reminder for mortals to curb their excessive pride. In another version of the myth, Artemis’ twin brother, Apollo, was the one who sent the scorpion to kill Orion after the hunter earned the goddess’ favor by admitting she was better than him. After Zeus raised Orion and the scorpion to the sky, the former hunts every winter but flees every summer when the scorpion comes. In both versions, Artemis asked Zeus to raise Orion.

There is a Greek myth that says without Orion, the celestial scorpion encountered Phaethon while he was driving his father Helios’ Sun Chariot.

Stars

Scorpius contains many bright stars, including Antares, “rival of Mars,” so named because of its distinct reddish hue, and others.

Due to its proximity with the Milky Way, Scorpius contains many deep-sky objects such as the open clusters Messier 6, the Butterfly Cluster, and Messier 7, the Ptolemy Cluster, NGC 6231, Messier 4, and Messier 80.

NGC 6231 is an open cluster in the southern sky located half a degrees north of Zeta Scorpii. NGC 6231 is part of a swath of young, bluish stars in the constellation Scorpius known as the Scorpius OB1 association.

NGC 6302, which is also called the Bug Nebula, is a bipolar planetary nebula found in the constellation. NGC 6334, also known as the Cat’s Paw Nebula, is an emission nebula and star-forming region.

Check out our articles on the Messier objects for more information on the objects. Make sure to check out other articles on the site, including a brief introduction to constellations, other constellation articles, and more!