Scorpius

Scorpius
Constellation
	List of stars in Scorpius
Abbreviation	Sco
Genitive	Scorpii
Pronunciation	/ˈskɔːrpiəs/,genitive/ˈskɔːrpiaɪ/
Symbolism	theScorpion
Right ascension	16.8875h
Declination	−30.7367°
Quadrant	SQ3
Area	497 sq. deg. (33rd)
Main stars	18
Bayer/Flamsteed; stars	47
Stars withplanets	14
Stars brighter than 3.00m	13
Stars within 10.00 pc (32.62 ly)	3
Brightest star	Antares(α Sco) (0.96m)
Messier objects	4
Meteor showers	Alpha Scorpiids; Omega Scorpiids
Bordering; constellations	Sagittarius; Ophiuchus; Libra; Lupus; Norma; Ara; Corona Australis
	Visible at latitudes between +40° and −90°.; Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month ofJuly.

Scorpiusis azodiac constellationlocated in theSouthern celestial hemisphere,where it sits near the center of theMilky Way,betweenLibrato the west andSagittariusto the east. Scorpius is an ancient constellation whose recognition predates Greek culture;^[1]it is one of the 48 constellations identified by the Greek astronomerPtolemyin the second century.

Notable features

Stars

The constellation Scorpius as it can be seen by naked eye (with constellation lines drawn in).

Scorpius contains many bright stars, includingAntares(α Sco), "rival of Mars," so named because of its distinct reddish hue;β¹Sco(Graffias or Acrab), a triple star;δ Sco(Dschubba,"the forehead" );θ Sco(Sargas,of sumerian origin^[2]);ν Sco(Jabbah);ξ Sco;π Sco(Fang);σ Sco(Alniyat); andτ Sco(Paikauhale).

Marking the tip of the scorpion's curved tail areλ Sco(Shaula) andυ 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.^[3]

The constellation's bright stars form a pattern like alongshoreman's hook.Most of them are massive members of the nearestOB association:Scorpius–Centaurus.^[4]

The star δ Sco, after having been a stable 2.3magnitudestar, 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.^[5]This means that at its brightest it is the second brightest star in Scorpius.

Stars of the constellation by distance (red-green 3D view) and the brightness of each star (star size)

U Scorpiiis the fastest knownnova,with a period of about 10 years.^[6]

AH Scorpiiis ared supergiantstar andone of the largest known stars,being 1,400 times larger than the Sun. It is also a luminous star, 340,000 times brighter than the Sun,^[7]altought is too faint to be seen to the naked eye, with a brightness varying from 6.5 to 9.6.^[8]

Theclose pairof starsω¹Scorpiiandω² Scorpiiare anoptical double,which can be resolved by the unaided eye. One is a yellow giant,^[9]while the other is a blue B-type star in the Scorpius-Centaurus Association.^[10]

The star once designated γ Sco (despite being well within the boundaries of Libra) is today known asσ Lib.Moreover, the entire constellation ofLibrawas considered to be claws of Scorpius (Chelae Scorpionis) inAncient Greektimes, with a set of scales held aloft byAstraea(represented by adjacentVirgo) being formed from these westernmost stars during later Greek times. The division into Libra was formalised during Ancient Greek orRomantimes.^[11]

Deep-sky objects

Scorpius and theMilky Way,withM4andM80visible near Antares,M6andM7just below centre,NGC 6124at the top of the frame, andNGC 6334just above centre.

Due to its location straddling theMilky Way,this constellation contains manydeep-sky objectssuch as theopen clusters Messier 6(theButterfly Cluster) andMessier 7(thePtolemy Cluster),NGC 6231(byζ² Sco), and theglobular clusters Messier 4andMessier 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 byCharles Messier.It was the site of a rare discovery in 1860 whenArthur von Auwersdiscovered the novaT Scorpii.^[12]

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

The heart of Scorpius. M4 is visible near the left of center. Portions of theRho Ophiuchi cloud complexare illuminated by Antares and the other neighboring stars.

Mythology

Scorpius as depicted inUrania's Mirror,a set of constellation cards published in London c.1825.

InGreek mythology,several myths associated with Scorpius attribute it toOrion.According to one version, Orion boasted to the goddessArtemisand her mother,Leto,that he would kill every animal onEarth.Artemis and Leto sent a scorpion to kill Orion.^[13]Their battle caught the attention ofZeus,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,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 encounteredPhaethonwhile he was driving his fatherHelios' Sun Chariot.^[14]

Origins

The Babylonians called this constellation MUL.GIR.TAB - the 'Scorpion'; the signs can be literally read as 'the (creature with) a burning sting'.^[15]

In some old descriptions the constellation ofLibrais treated as the Scorpion's claws. Libra was known as the Claws of the Scorpion inBabylonian(zibānītu(compare Arabiczubānā)) and in Greek (χηλαι).^[16]

Astrology

The Westernastrological signScorpio differs from the astronomical constellation. Astronomically, the Sun is in Scorpius's IAU boundaries for just six days, from November 23 to November 28. Much of the difference is due to the constellationOphiuchus,which is used by few astrologers. Scorpius corresponds to theHindunakshatrasAnuradha,Jyeshtha,andMula.^{[citation needed]}

Culture

TheJavanesepeople of Indonesia call this constellationBanyakangrem( "the brooded swan" )^[17]orKalapa Doyong( "leaning coconut tree" )^[18]due to the shape similarity.
In Hawaii, Scorpius is known as the demigodMaui's Fishhook^[19]orKa Makau Nui o Māui(meaningthe Big Fishhook of Māui) and the name of the fishhook wasManaiakalani.^[20]
Scorpius was divided into two asterisms which were used byBugissailors for navigation. The northern part of Scorpius (α,β,γ or σ Lib,δ,ε,ζ,μ,σandτScorpii) was calledbintoéng lambarué,meaning "skate stars". The southern part of Scorpius (η,θ,ι,κ,λandνScorpii) was calledbintoéng balé mangngiwéng,meaning "shark stars".^[21]

References

^Knight, J.D."Constellation Scorpius - The Constellations on Sea and Sky".seasky.org.Retrieved2017-02-11.
^Burnham, Robert (1978-01-01).Burnham's Celestial Handbook: An Observer's Guide to the Universe Beyond the Solar System.Courier Corporation.ISBN 978-0-486-23673-5.
^Fred Schaaf (Macmillan 1988) 40 Nights to Knowing the Sky: A Night-by-Night Sky-Watching Primer, p. 79 (ISBN 9780805046687).
^Preibisch, T.; Mamajek, E. (2009). "The Nearest OB Association: Scorpius–Centaurus (Sco OB2)".Handbook of Star-Forming Regions.2:0.arXiv:0809.0407.Bibcode:2008hsf2.book..235P.
^"Delta Scorpii Still Showing Off".Archived fromthe originalon 2007-06-06.Retrieved2008-06-28.
^"AAVSO: Variable Star of the Season: U Scorpii".
^Arroyo-Torres, B.; Wittkowski, M.; Marcaide, J. M.; Hauschildt, P. H. (2013-06-01)."The atmospheric structure and fundamental parameters of the red supergiants AH Scorpii, UY Scuti, and KW Sagittarii".Astronomy and Astrophysics.554:A76.arXiv:1305.6179.Bibcode:2013A&A...554A..76A.doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201220920.ISSN 0004-6361.
^Kiss, L. L.; Szabó, Gy. M.; Bedding, T. R. (2006-11-01)."Variability in red supergiant stars: pulsations, long secondary periods and convection noise".Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.372(4):1721–1734.arXiv:astro-ph/0608438.Bibcode:2006MNRAS.372.1721K.doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2006.10973.x.ISSN 0035-8711.
^Houk, N.; Smith-Moore, M. (1988),Michigan Catalogue of Two-dimensional Spectral Types for the HD Stars. Declinations -26°.0 to -12°.0,vol. 4,Bibcode:1988mcts.book.....H.
^Jilinski, E.; et al. (March 2006), "Radial velocity measurements of B stars in the Scorpius-Centaurus association",Astronomy and Astrophysics,448(3):1001–1006,arXiv:astro-ph/0601643,Bibcode:2006A&A...448.1001J,doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20041614,S2CID 17818058.
^Dekker, Elly (2013).Illustrating the phaenomena: celestial cartography in Antiquity and the Middle Ages.Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp.61–62.ISBN 978-0-19-960969-7.
^Levy 2005,pp. 166–167.
^ScholiaonHomer,Iliad18.486 citingPherecydes
^Scorpio - The Legend and Myth Archived2008-07-20 at theWayback Machine
^Woolfolk, Joanna (2011).Scorpio.Lanham: Taylor Trade Publishing. p. 81.ISBN 978-1589795600.
^Babylonian Star-loreby Gavin White, Solaria Pubs, 2008 page 175
^Daldjoeni, N (1984). "Pranatamangsa, the javanese agricultural calendar – Its bioclimatological and sociocultural function in developing rural life".The Environmentalist.4(S7):15–18.Bibcode:1984ThEnv...4S..15D.doi:10.1007/BF01907286.S2CID 189914684.
^"Jejak Langkah Astronomi di Indonesia".2 January 2011.
^"Hawaiian Astronomical Society,Constellations: Scorpius - The Scorpion who Killed Orion".
^"Hawaiian Star Lines and Names for Stars - Star Line 3. Manaiakalani".
^Kelley, David H.; Milone, Eugene F.; Aveni, A.F. (2011).Exploring Ancient Skies: A Survey of Ancient and Cultural Astronomy.New York, New York: Springer. p. 344.ISBN 978-1-4419-7623-9.

Levy, David H. (2005).Deep Sky Objects.Prometheus Books.ISBN 1-59102-361-0.
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

[1] Knight, J.D."Constellation Scorpius - The Constellations on Sea and Sky".seasky.org.Retrieved2017-02-11.

[2] Burnham, Robert (1978-01-01).Burnham's Celestial Handbook: An Observer's Guide to the Universe Beyond the Solar System.Courier Corporation.ISBN 978-0-486-23673-5.

[3] Fred Schaaf (Macmillan 1988) 40 Nights to Knowing the Sky: A Night-by-Night Sky-Watching Primer, p. 79 (ISBN 9780805046687).

[4] Preibisch, T.; Mamajek, E. (2009). "The Nearest OB Association: Scorpius–Centaurus (Sco OB2)".Handbook of Star-Forming Regions.2:0.arXiv:0809.0407.Bibcode:2008hsf2.book..235P.

[5] "Delta Scorpii Still Showing Off".Archived fromthe originalon 2007-06-06.Retrieved2008-06-28.

[6] "AAVSO: Variable Star of the Season: U Scorpii".

[7] Arroyo-Torres, B.; Wittkowski, M.; Marcaide, J. M.; Hauschildt, P. H. (2013-06-01)."The atmospheric structure and fundamental parameters of the red supergiants AH Scorpii, UY Scuti, and KW Sagittarii".Astronomy and Astrophysics.554:A76.arXiv:1305.6179.Bibcode:2013A&A...554A..76A.doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201220920.ISSN 0004-6361.

[8] Kiss, L. L.; Szabó, Gy. M.; Bedding, T. R. (2006-11-01)."Variability in red supergiant stars: pulsations, long secondary periods and convection noise".Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.372(4):1721–1734.arXiv:astro-ph/0608438.Bibcode:2006MNRAS.372.1721K.doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2006.10973.x.ISSN 0035-8711.

[houk1988-9] Houk, N.; Smith-Moore, M. (1988),Michigan Catalogue of Two-dimensional Spectral Types for the HD Stars. Declinations -26°.0 to -12°.0,vol. 4,Bibcode:1988mcts.book.....H.

[Jilinski2006-10] Jilinski, E.; et al. (March 2006), "Radial velocity measurements of B stars in the Scorpius-Centaurus association",Astronomy and Astrophysics,448(3):1001–1006,arXiv:astro-ph/0601643,Bibcode:2006A&A...448.1001J,doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20041614,S2CID 17818058.

[11] Dekker, Elly (2013).Illustrating the phaenomena: celestial cartography in Antiquity and the Middle Ages.Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp.61–62.ISBN 978-0-19-960969-7.

[FOOTNOTELevy2005166–167-12] Levy 2005,pp. 166–167.

[13] ScholiaonHomer,Iliad18.486 citingPherecydes

[novareinna-14] Scorpio - The Legend and Myth Archived2008-07-20 at theWayback Machine

[15] Woolfolk, Joanna (2011).Scorpio.Lanham: Taylor Trade Publishing. p. 81.ISBN 978-1589795600.

[16] Babylonian Star-loreby Gavin White, Solaria Pubs, 2008 page 175

[17] Daldjoeni, N (1984). "Pranatamangsa, the javanese agricultural calendar – Its bioclimatological and sociocultural function in developing rural life".The Environmentalist.4(S7):15–18.Bibcode:1984ThEnv...4S..15D.doi:10.1007/BF01907286.S2CID 189914684.

[18] "Jejak Langkah Astronomi di Indonesia".2 January 2011.

[19] "Hawaiian Astronomical Society,Constellations: Scorpius - The Scorpion who Killed Orion".

[20] "Hawaiian Star Lines and Names for Stars - Star Line 3. Manaiakalani".

[kelley11-21] Kelley, David H.; Milone, Eugene F.; Aveni, A.F. (2011).Exploring Ancient Skies: A Survey of Ancient and Cultural Astronomy.New York, New York: Springer. p. 344.ISBN 978-1-4419-7623-9.

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