Constellation, Scorpion
Scorpius
The scorpion that killed Orion in Greek myth, with the red star Antares at its heart. It is one of the few figures that really looks like what it is named for.
From New York on October 13, 2026, the centre of Scorpius rises at 12:10 PM, is highest at 4:09 PM (18° above the horizon in the S) and sets at 8:09 PM.
In the 3D sky
The sky over New York turned towards Scorpius. Drag to look around.
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Evening visibility over the year
Height of the constellation’s centre above the horizon at 10 pm local time on the 15th of each month, from New York. Above about 30° it is well placed.
Name and history
The Sumerians called these stars GIR-TAB, the scorpion, thousands of years before the Greeks. The Greek scorpion was larger than today’s. Its claws, Chelae, reached into the area that the Romans later made into Libra. In myth this is the scorpion that stung Orion to death. In one version Orion tried to attack the goddess Artemis, and she sent it. In another, the Earth sent it after Orion boasted he could kill any beast. Orion and the scorpion were placed on opposite sides of the sky, so Orion sets as the scorpion rises.
Antares comes from Greek words meaning ‘like Mars’, for its red colour. It is often called the scorpion’s heart, which is what its Arabic name means. Shaula, at the tip of the tail, means ‘the sting’. Ptolemy noted a ‘nebulous star’ behind the sting, most likely the cluster now called M7, sometimes known as Ptolemy’s Cluster. Scorpio is the old name, now used mainly by astrologers.
Sources: Ian Ridpath, Star Tales: Scorpius
Brightest stars
| Star | Designation | Magnitude | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antares | α Sco | 1.06 | 554 light-years |
| Shaula | λ Sco | 1.62 | 571 light-years |
| Sargas | θ Sco | 1.86 | 300 light-years |
| Dschubba | δ Sco | 2.29 | 491 light-years |
| Larawag | ε Sco | 2.29 | 64 light-years |
| κ Sco | κ Sco | 2.39 | 483 light-years |
| Acrab | β1 Sco | 2.56 | 404 light-years |
| Lesath | υ Sco | 2.70 | 576 light-years |
| Paikauhale | τ Sco | 2.82 | 474 light-years |
| Fang | π Sco | 2.89 | 586 light-years |
Facts
| Area | about 498 square degrees (33 of 88) |
|---|---|
| IAU abbreviation | Sco |
| Sky | Southern sky |
| Origin | Listed in Ptolemy’s Almagest, about AD 150, as Skorpios |
| Stars brighter than magnitude 5 | 41 |
| Centre (J2000) | 16.7 h, -31° |
Deep-sky objects
Galaxies, clusters and nebulae brighter than magnitude 9, from the OpenNGC catalogue. Most need binoculars or a telescope and a dark sky.
Boundaries: International Astronomical Union, via Astronomy Engine. Areas are computed from the boundaries by sampling (within about one percent). Names and lines: Stellarium. Stars: HYG Database. Deep-sky objects: OpenNGC. Calculated with Astronomy Engine, an open-source library verified against the US Naval Observatory and NASA JPL. Data sources
How to use this page
Choose your place and a night at the top. The answer and the 3D view show where the constellation is, when it is highest and whether it rises at all from where you are. The chart shows its stars and lines, and the tables list its brightest stars and the deep-sky objects inside it.
Frequently asked questions
When is a constellation best seen?
When it is highest in a dark sky, which the page gives for the night you pick. Each constellation is best placed in a particular season, because the stars rise about four minutes earlier every night.
Why can I not see a constellation from my place?
Constellations far south of the celestial equator never rise from northern places, and those far north never rise from southern ones. The page says when this is the case.
What are the constellation boundaries?
The International Astronomical Union divides the sky into 88 areas with official boundaries. The stick figures are only a drawing aid, the boundaries say which constellation a point in the sky belongs to.
Related guides
- How to learn the constellationsStart with one bright pattern you cannot miss, use it as a signpost to its neighbours, and come back a month later: the sky will have turned, and you will know a little more of it.
- Altitude and azimuth: finding things in the skyTwo angles tell you exactly where to look: which direction, and how high.
- Light pollution and dark skies: the Bortle scaleFrom a city centre you can count a few dozen stars. From a truly dark site you can count a few thousand, with the Milky Way bright enough to cast a shadow. The Bortle scale puts a number on the difference.
- Binoculars for stargazing: what to buy and what to look atA pair of 7x50 or 10x50 binoculars shows the craters of the Moon, the moons of Jupiter, dozens of star clusters and the Andromeda Galaxy, for a fraction of the cost of a telescope.