- JOHN ZIMMERMAN
- Posted On
Lake County Skies: Scorpius rising!
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – This month we turn our attention to the constellation Scorpius the Scorpion.
Look to the south – Scorpius crawls close to the horizon. It is one of the few constellations that actually looks like what it represents.
From the giant claws, to the long body, and finally the curved tail, Scorpius appears as though he is ready to strike!
In Greek mythology, Scorpius was the creature that was sent to kill Orion the Hunter. He succeeded, and was placed in the summer sky in recognition of his great feat.
Orion was placed in the winter sky so that he and Scorpius would not continue to fight.
Scorpius is host to Antares, the 17th brightest star in the sky. Also known as the Heart of the Scorpion, Antares is a supergiant red star, 883 times larger than our sun.
Scorpius lies in the Milky Way (see this month’s star chart). As such, a number of beautiful deep sky objects can be viewed through a telescope.
Most notable is M4, a globular cluster of stars, located near Antares. It is the closest object of this type, a mere 7,500 light years away.
M4 has over 20,000 stars – through even a small telescope it is a fascinating object.
Close to Scorpius is the beautiful planet Saturn, always a rewarding sight through a telescope.
Saturn is the sixth planet from the sun and is distinguished by its beautiful rings.
John Zimmerman is a resident of Lake County and has been an amateur astronomer for more than 50 years. For more information about Astronomy and local resources, visit his Web site at www.lakecountyskies.com .