View source for Astronomy:Scorpius

{{Short description|Zodiac constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere}}
{{pp-semi-indef}}
{{Infobox constellation
| name = Scorpius
| abbreviation = Sco
| genitive = Scorpii
| pronounce = {{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|k|ɔr|p|i|ə|s}}, genitive {{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|k|ɔr|p|i|aɪ}} 
| symbolism = the Scorpion
| RA = {{RA|16.8875}}
| dec= {{DEC|−30.7367}}
| family = [[Astronomy:Zodiac|Zodiac]]
| quadrant = SQ3
| areatotal = 497
| arearank = 33rd
| numbermainstars = 18
| numberbfstars = 47
| numberstarsplanets = 14
| numberbrightstars = 13
| numbernearbystars = 3
| brighteststarname = [[Astronomy:Antares|Antares]] (α Sco)
| starmagnitude = 0.96
| neareststarname = [[Astronomy:Gliese 682|Gliese 682]]
| stardistancely = 16.44
| stardistancepc = 5.04
| numbermessierobjects = 4
| meteorshowers = Alpha Scorpiids<br />Omega Scorpiids
| bordering = [[Astronomy:Sagittarius (constellation)|Sagittarius]]<br />[[Astronomy:Ophiuchus|Ophiuchus]]<br />[[Astronomy:Libra (constellation)|Libra]]<br />[[Astronomy:Lupus (constellation)|Lupus]]<br />[[Astronomy:Norma (constellation)|Norma]]<br />[[Astronomy:Ara (constellation)|Ara]]<br />[[Astronomy:Corona Australis|Corona Australis]]
| latmax = 40
| latmin = [[Earth:South Pole|90]]
| month = July
| notes=
}}

'''Scorpius''' is a [[Astronomy:Zodiac|zodiac]] [[Astronomy:Constellation|constellation]] located in the [[Astronomy:Southern celestial hemisphere|Southern celestial hemisphere]], where it sits near the center of the [[Astronomy:Milky Way|Milky Way]], between [[Astronomy:Libra (constellation)|Libra]] to the west and [[Astronomy:Sagittarius (constellation)|Sagittarius]] to the east. Scorpius is an ancient constellation that pre-dates the Greeks;<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.seasky.org/constellations/constellation-scorpius.html|title=Constellation Scorpius - The Constellations on Sea and Sky|last=Knight|first=J.D.|website=www.seasky.org|access-date=2017-02-11}}</ref> it is one of the 48 constellations identified by the Greek astronomer [[Biography:Ptolemy|Ptolemy]] in the second century. Its old astronomical symbol is [[Image:Scorpius symbol (fixed width).svg|20px]] (♏︎).{{cn|date=June 2023}}

==Notable features==

===Stars===
[[Image:ScorpiusCC.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.2|The constellation Scorpius as it can be seen by naked eye (with constellation lines drawn in).]]
Scorpius contains many bright stars, including [[Astronomy:Antares|Antares]] (α Sco), "rival of Mars," so named because of its distinct reddish hue; [[Astronomy:Beta Scorpii|β<sup>1</sup> Sco]] (Graffias or Acrab), a triple star; [[Astronomy:Delta Scorpii|δ Sco]] (Dschubba, "the forehead"); [[Astronomy:Theta Scorpii|θ Sco]] (Sargas, of sumerian origin<ref>{{Cite book |last=Burnham |first=Robert |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PJzIt3SIlkUC&pg=PA1676 |title=Burnham's Celestial Handbook: An Observer's Guide to the Universe Beyond the Solar System |date=1978-01-01 |publisher=Courier Corporation |isbn=978-0-486-23673-5 |language=en}}</ref>); [[Astronomy:Nu Scorpii|ν Sco]] (Jabbah); [[Astronomy:Xi Scorpii|ξ Sco]]; [[Astronomy:Pi Scorpii|π Sco]] (Fang); [[Astronomy:Sigma Scorpii|σ Sco]] (Alniyat); and [[Astronomy:Tau Scorpii|τ Sco]] (Paikauhale).

Marking the tip of the scorpion's curved tail are [[Astronomy:Lambda Scorpii|λ Sco]] (Shaula) and [[Astronomy:Upsilon Scorpii|υ Sco]] (Lesath), whose names both mean "sting."  Given their proximity to one another, λ Sco and υ Sco are sometimes referred to as the Cat's Eyes.<ref>Fred Schaaf (Macmillan 1988) 40 Nights to Knowing the Sky: A Night-by-Night Sky-Watching Primer, p. 79 ({{ISBN|9780805046687}}).</ref>

The constellation's bright stars form a pattern like a longshoreman's hook. Most of them are massive members of the nearest [[Astronomy:Stellar association|OB association]]: [[Astronomy:Scorpius–Centaurus association|Scorpius–Centaurus]].<ref>{{cite journal|title=The Nearest OB Association: Scorpius–Centaurus (Sco OB2)|author=Preibisch, T.|author2=Mamajek, E.|date=2009|journal=Handbook of Star-Forming Regions|volume=2|pages=0|bibcode=2008hsf2.book..235P|arxiv=0809.0407}}</ref>

The star δ Sco, after having been a stable 2.3 [[Astronomy:Apparent magnitude|magnitude]] star, flared in July 2000 to 1.9 in a matter of weeks. It has since become a variable star fluctuating between 2.0 and 1.6.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/3307781.html?page=1&c=y |title=Delta Scorpii Still Showing Off |access-date=2008-06-28 |archive-date=2007-06-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070606165625/http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/3307781.html?page=1&c=y |url-status=dead }}</ref> This means that at its brightest it is the second brightest star in Scorpius.

[[File:Scorpius 3D red-green.png|thumb|Stars of the constellation by distance (red-green 3D view) and the brightness of each star (star size)]]

[[Astronomy:U Scorpii|U Scorpii]] is the fastest known [[Astronomy:Nova|nova]], with a period of about 10 years.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.aavso.org/vstar/vsots/| title = AAVSO: Variable Star of the Season: U Scorpii}}</ref>

The [[Astronomy:Omega Scorpii|close pair]] of stars [[Astronomy:Omega1 Scorpii|ω<sup>1</sup> Scorpii]] and [[Astronomy:Omega2 Scorpii|ω² Scorpii]] are an optical double, which can be resolved by the unaided eye. One is a yellow giant,<ref name=houk1988>{{citation
 | last1=Houk | first1=N. | last2=Smith-Moore | first2=M.
|title=Michigan Catalogue of Two-dimensional Spectral Types for the HD Stars. Declinations -26°.0 to -12°.0
 | volume=4 | year=1988
 | bibcode=1988mcts.book.....H | postscript=. }}</ref> while the other is a blue B-type star in the Scorpius-Centaurus Association.<ref name=Jilinski2006>{{citation
 | display-authors=1
 | last1=Jilinski | first1=E. | last2=Daflon | first2=S.
 | last3=Cunha | first3=K. | last4=de La Reza | first4=R.
 | title=Radial velocity measurements of B stars in the Scorpius-Centaurus association
 | journal=Astronomy and Astrophysics
 | volume=448 | issue=3 |date=March 2006 | pages=1001–1006
 | doi=10.1051/0004-6361:20041614 | bibcode=2006A&A...448.1001J
 | arxiv=astro-ph/0601643 | s2cid=17818058 | postscript=. }}</ref>

The star once designated γ Sco (despite being well within the boundaries of Libra) is today known as [[Astronomy:Sigma Librae|σ Lib]]. Moreover, the entire constellation of [[Astronomy:Libra (constellation)|Libra]] was considered to be claws of Scorpius (''Chelae Scorpionis'') in [[Social:Ancient Greek|Ancient Greek]] times, with a set of scales held aloft by Astraea (represented by adjacent [[Astronomy:Virgo (constellation)|Virgo]]) being formed from these westernmost stars during later Greek times. The division into Libra was formalised during [[History:Ancient Rome|Roman]] times.{{citation needed|date=March 2018}}

===Deep-sky objects===
[[File:Antares overlooking an Auxiliary Telescope.jpg|thumb|left|Scorpius and the Milky Way, with M4 and M80 visible near Antares, M6 and M7 just below centre, NGC 6124 at the top of the frame, and NGC 6334 just above centre.]]
Due to its location straddling the [[Astronomy:Milky Way|Milky Way]], this constellation contains many [[Astronomy:Deep-sky object|deep-sky object]]s such as the [[Astronomy:Open cluster|open cluster]]s [[Astronomy:Messier 6|Messier 6]] (the [[Astronomy:Butterfly Cluster|Butterfly Cluster]]) and [[Astronomy:Messier 7|Messier 7]] (the Ptolemy Cluster), [[Astronomy:NGC 6231|NGC 6231]] (by ζ² Sco), and the [[Astronomy:Globular cluster|globular cluster]]s [[Astronomy:Messier 4|Messier 4]] and [[Astronomy:Messier 80|Messier 80]].

[[Astronomy:Messier 80|Messier 80]] (NGC 6093) is a globular cluster of magnitude 7.3, 33,000 light-years from Earth. It is a compact Shapley class II cluster; the classification indicates that it is highly concentrated and dense at its nucleus. M80 was discovered in 1781 by [[Biography:Charles Messier|Charles Messier]]. It was the site of a rare discovery in 1860 when Arthur von Auwers discovered the nova [[Astronomy:T Scorpii|T Scorpii]].{{sfn|Levy|2005|pp=166-167}}

[[Astronomy:NGC 6302|NGC 6302]], also called the Bug Nebula, is a bipolar planetary nebula. [[Astronomy:NGC 6334|NGC 6334]], also known as the Cat's Paw Nebula, is an emission nebula and star-forming region.

[[File:Scorpius 03 May 2022 CherrySpringsStatePark.jpg|thumb|alt=The heart of Scorpius|The heart of Scorpius.  M4 is visible near the left of center.  Portions of the [[Astronomy:Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex|Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex]] are illuminated by Antares and the other neighboring stars.]]

==Mythology==
[[File:Sidney Hall - Urania's Mirror - Scorpio.jpg|thumb|left|Scorpius as depicted in ''[[Astronomy:Urania's Mirror|Urania's Mirror]]'', a set of constellation cards published in London c.1825.]]
In [[Religion:Greek mythology|Greek mythology]], several myths associated with Scorpius attribute it to [[Unsolved:Orion (mythology)|Orion]]. According to one version, Orion boasted to the goddess [[Religion:Artemis|Artemis]] and her mother, [[Biology:Leto|Leto]], that he would kill every animal on [[Astronomy:Earth|Earth]]. Artemis and Leto sent a scorpion to kill Orion.<ref>Scholia on ''[[Biography:Homer|Homer]], [[Religion:Iliad|Iliad]]'' 18.486 citing Pherecydes</ref> Their battle caught the attention of [[Religion:Zeus|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, [[Unsolved:Apollo|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.

In a Greek myth without Orion, the celestial scorpion encountered Phaethon while he was driving his father [[Religion:Helios|Helios]]' Sun Chariot.<ref name="novareinna">[http://www.novareinna.com/constellation/scorpiolegend.html Scorpio - The Legend and Myth] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080720062015/http://www.novareinna.com/constellation/scorpiolegend.html |date=2008-07-20 }}</ref>

===Origins===
The Babylonians called this constellation MUL.GIR.TAB - the 'Scorpion'; the signs can be literally read as 'the (creature with) a burning sting'.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Scorpio|last=Woolfolk|first=Joanna|publisher=Taylor Trade Publishing|year=2011|isbn=978-1589795600|location=Lanham|pages=81}}</ref>

In some old descriptions the constellation of [[Astronomy:Libra (constellation)|Libra]] is treated as the Scorpion's claws. Libra was known as the Claws of the Scorpion in [[Social:Akkadian language|Babylonian]] (''zibānītu'' (compare Arabic ''zubānā'')) and in Greek (χηλαι).<ref>''Babylonian Star-lore'' by Gavin White, Solaria Pubs, 2008 page 175</ref>

===Astrology===
{{Main|Unsolved:Scorpio (astrology)}}
The Western [[Unsolved:Astrological sign|astrological sign]] Scorpio differs from the astronomical constellation. Astronomically, the sun is in Scorpius for just six days, from November 23 to November 28. Much of the difference is due to the constellation [[Astronomy:Ophiuchus|Ophiuchus]], which is used by few astrologers. Scorpius corresponds to the [[Unsolved:Hindu astrology|Hindu]] nakshatras [[Astronomy:Anuradha (nakshatra)|Anuradha]], [[Astronomy:Jyeshtha (nakshatra)|Jyeshtha]], and Mula.{{fact|date=July 2021}}

==Culture==
*The Javanese people of Indonesia call this constellation ''Banyakangrem'' ("the brooded swan")<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Daldjoeni | first1 = N | date = 1984 | title = Pranatamangsa, the javanese agricultural calendar – Its bioclimatological and sociocultural function in developing rural life | journal = The Environmentalist | volume = 4 | pages = 15–18 | doi = 10.1007/BF01907286 | s2cid = 189914684 }}</ref> or ''Kalapa Doyong'' ("leaning coconut tree")<ref>{{cite web| url = http://langitselatan.com/2011/01/02/jejak-langkah-astronomi-di-indonesia/| title = Jejak Langkah Astronomi di Indonesia| date = 2 January 2011}}</ref> due to the shape similarity.
*In Hawaii, Scorpius is known as the demigod Maui's Fishhook <ref>{{cite web| url = http://hawastsoc.org/deepsky/sco/| title = Hawaiian Astronomical Society, ''Constellations: Scorpius - The Scorpion who Killed Orion''}}</ref> or ''Ka Makau Nui o Māui'' (meaning ''the Big Fishhook of Māui'') and the name of the fishhook was ''Manaiakalani''.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://pvs.kcc.hawaii.edu/ike/hookele/hawaiian_star_lines.html#manaiakalani| title = Hawaiian Star Lines and Names for Stars - Star Line 3. Manaiakalani}}</ref>
*Scorpius was divided into two asterisms which were used by Bugis sailors for navigation. The northern part of Scorpius ([[Astronomy:Antares|α]], [[Astronomy:Beta Scorpii|β]], [[Astronomy:Sigma Librae|γ or σ Lib]], [[Astronomy:Delta Scorpii|δ]], [[Astronomy:Epsilon Scorpii|ε]], [[Astronomy:Zeta Scorpii|ζ]], [[Astronomy:Mu Scorpii|μ]], [[Astronomy:Sigma Scorpii|σ]] and [[Astronomy:Tau Scorpii|τ]] Scorpii) was called ''bintoéng lambarué'', meaning "skate stars". The southern part of Scorpius ([[Astronomy:Eta Scorpii|η]], [[Astronomy:Theta Scorpii|θ]], [[Astronomy:Iota Scorpii|ι]], [[Astronomy:Kappa Scorpii|κ]], [[Astronomy:Lambda Scorpii|λ]] and [[Astronomy:Nu Scorpii|ν]] Scorpii) was called ''bintoéng balé mangngiwéng'', meaning "shark stars".<ref name="kelley11">{{cite book|author1=Kelley, David H. |author2=Milone, Eugene F. |author3=Aveni, A.F. |title=Exploring Ancient Skies: A Survey of Ancient and Cultural Astronomy|publisher=Springer|location=New York, New York|year=2011|page=344|isbn=978-1-4419-7623-9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ILBuYcGASxcC&pg=PA307}}</ref>

==See also==
* Scorpius (Chinese astronomy)

==References==
{{Reflist}}
* {{cite book |first = David H. |last = Levy |title = Deep Sky Objects |publisher = [[Philosophy:Prometheus Books|Prometheus Books]] |date = 2005 |isbn = 1-59102-361-0 |url-access = registration |url = https://archive.org/details/deepskyobjects00davi }}
* Ian Ridpath and Wil Tirion (2007). ''Stars and Planets Guide'', Collins, London. {{ISBN|978-0-00-725120-9}}. Princeton University Press, Princeton. {{ISBN|978-0-691-13556-4}}.

==External links==
{{Commons and category|Scorpius|Scorpius (constellation)}}
* [http://www.allthesky.com/constellations/scorpius/ The Deep Photographic Guide to the Constellations: Scorpius]
* [http://astrojan.nhely.hu/scorp.htm The clickable Scorpius]
* [http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/scorpius.html Star Tales – Scorpius]
* [https://iconographic.warburg.sas.ac.uk/category/vpc-taxonomy-017066 Warburg Institute Iconographic Database (medieval and early modern images of Scorpius)]

{{Stars of Scorpius}}
{{Constellations}}
{{Zodiac}}

{{Sky|16|53|15|-|30|44|12|10}}

[[Category:Southern constellations]]
[[Category:Constellations listed by Ptolemy]]

{{Sourceattribution|Scorpius}}