Scorpius, the scorpion:
Scorpius is one of the most ancient and the most recognizable constellations
in the night sky. The pattern of stars that create this constellation
can easily be imagined as a scorpion. According to mythology, Scorpius
is the scorpion that the earth goddess Gaia sent to attack and kill
the hunter Orion. The image of the scorpion was placed opposite
to Orion's in the sky, so the two will never appear together in
the sky at the same time. Within the stars of the constellation
is the bright red star Antares whose name means "rival of Mars".
Just like the planet Mars, this star has a brilliant red color,
and ancient skywatchers would compare these two red objects. Scorpius
can be found low in the southern sky during the summer months. From
the United States the constellation never rises very high above
the horizon, so a clear viewing area is needed to observe this gorgeous
star pattern.
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