Abbreviation: Sco
Genitive: Scorpii
Origin: [antiquity]
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.
| Designation | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| σ Sco | Alniyat | |
| 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 | |
| HD 153950 | Rapeto | This seventh-magnitude star is known to have at least one exoplanet. |
| HIP 79431 | Sharjah | 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. |
| 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. |
| C75 | This large open cluster is accessible through binoculars. | |
| C76 | Northern Jewel Box | This is a distant open star cluster, easily visible through binoculars. |
Copyright © 1995–2020 by David Harper and L.M. Stockman