The American Association of Amateur Astronomers
The Constellation Scorpius - The Scorpion
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Mythology:
SCORPIUS - The Scorpion
As the giant hunter, Orion, sets each spring in the west, his mortal enemy, The Scorpion, rises in the eastern sky. Scorpius gained eternal fame when, upon command of the gods, he spring from the earth to surprise Orion, and sent the able hunter to his final resting place. Even the God of Healing, Asclepius, was unable to reverse the fatal effects of The Scorpion’s sharp sting. Scorpius is also remembered for his disastrous intervention when the mortal man, Phaeton, attempted to drive the chariot of Apollo, God of the Sun. Here, Scorpius but pricked Apollo's horses with his lethal sting, causing the creatures to bolt and driving the sun-bearing chariot recklessly through the heavens, drying up many rivers and scorching the earth below.
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Scorpius is a large and sprawling constellation which lies near the Milky Way, and thus holds many bright open
and globular star clusters: a welcome change after hunting down the faint and distant galaxies of the Virgo-Coma
galaxy cluster in the Spring. Both faint reflection nebulae and opaque dark nebulae also abound in this region,
particularly in the region between Antares and Rho Ophiuci. This is due to the fact that we are looking in the
direction close to the center of our galaxy. There are many gems in this area, and it is unfortunate for northern
hemisphere observers that the observing season for this constellation is cut short both by the brief summer evenings,
and by the constellation's southerly declination.
SCORPIUS
 M-4 - Lying about 1.5 degrees due west of
Antares, this large globular cluster is both easily found, and
a treat to observe. It is large, about 15' in diameter and is rather loosely concentrated, letting us resolve its
individual stars rather easily. About 8-10 of its brightest members appear to form a bar right through its center,
and gives the impression that the cluster is slightly elongated.
M-6 - This is a fine open cluster just visible to the naked eye. It is sometimes called the Butterfly Cluster,
as some observers see the shape of a flying insectoid amongst its stars. The cluster is large, about 25' in diameter,
so use low powers to observe it. Over one hundred stars, many bright or relatively bright can be counted in this
area.
 M-7 - One of the finest open clusters visible in the northern hemisphere, this object is best seen using
binoculars or a finderscope. It is large, about 50' in diameter and contains many bright stars loosely concentrated
at the center. Telescopic observers are awarded an added treat; at the western edge, but still within the cluster's
boundaries, the faint globular cluster NGC 6453 can be seen. How many times have YOU observed M-7 without seeing
this ghostly globular?
M-80 - This is a small, tightly concentrated globular cluster which is difficult to resolve into its constituent
stars, and then only around the edges. It is seen in binoculars as a fuzzy star.
NGC 6231 - A fine open cluster, composed of over one hundred stars in a compact 15' area. It actually lies
on another spiral arm of our galaxy, closer to the galactic center. According to Burnham's Celestial Handbook,
if this cluster was at the same distance from us as the Pleiades, it would appear about the same size as that cluster,
but would be about fifty times brighter, with its brightest members shining as bright as Sirius!
Messier Objects in Scorpius
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Con
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Messier
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Type
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R.A.
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Dec.
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Mag.
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Size
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NGC#
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Sco
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M4
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Globular Cluster
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16h 23.6
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-26d 32
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7.5
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26.3'
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6121
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Sco
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M6
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Open Cluster
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17h 40.1
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-32d 13
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4.5
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15.0'
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6405
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Sco
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M7
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Open Cluster
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17h 53.9
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-34d 49
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3.5
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80.0'
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6475
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Sco
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M80
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Globular Cluster
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16h 17.0
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-22d 59
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8.5
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8.9'
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6093
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Deep Sky Objects in Scorpius
The following objects are on the Astronomical League's Southern Sky Binocular List
Click
HERE to
download PDF
|
Object |
R.A. |
DEC |
Mag |
PA* |
Type |
Size |
Const |
Urn |
SA |
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NGC 6124 |
16 25.6 |
-40 40 |
5.8 |
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Open Cluster |
40.0' |
Sco |
407 |
22 |
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NGC 6231 |
16 54.0 |
-41 48 |
2.6 |
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Open Cluster |
14.0' |
Sco |
407 |
22 |
NOTE: Urn number indicates page in Uranometria
SA number indicates page in Sky Atlas 2000
PA is position angle for Galaxies
Photos © Copyright Edward P. Flaspoehler, Jr.
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