Home >> Science & Nature >> Astronomy

Origin of the Constellation Scorpio

Scorpio, or Scorpius as it is sometimes called, is one of the oldest and brightest constellations known in the nighttime sky. It derives its name from a Greek mythology legend about a scorpion who was sent to killed the god Orion. It is used in astrology as well as astronomy. It is recognized by a group of stars in the Southern East sky resembling a scorpion with a poisonous tail.

Mythology
- In ancient Greek Mythology, Orion was known as a bragger and boaster and talked of his sexual and life conquests to many people. The goddess of dawn, Eos, was one of the conquests and was not pleased. The god Apollo heard of this and sent Gaia, the Earth goddess, to send a scorpion to sting Orion to death. Orion's sister Artemis tried to kill the scorpion with an arrow but ended up hitting Orion in the back of the head instead. She was so distraught she placed Orion among the heavens as a constellation. He was placed 180 degrees away from Scorpio to prevent further trouble. Gaia was pleased with the scorpions killing of Orion she decided to immortalize him in the nighttime sky as a constellation.
Stars
- Scorpios were known to be very showy and bright, so as the story goes, the brightest stars in the sky make up the constellation of Scorpio. The brightest star located in the center of this constellation is called Antares, which is a reddish orange color and often gets confused with the planet Mars. The second brightest star, Shaula, is located at the end of the constellation making up Scorpio's tail. There are 13 other stars that make up the cooked J shape resembling a scorpion. According to Greek Mythology, the constellation of Scorpio was longer before Julius Ceaser cut off it's claws and those stars became part of Libra's constellation.
Seasons
- The constellation of Scorpio can be seen in the summer sky during the months of June, July and August in the Northern Hemisphere. It moves very low across the early evening sky and can be difficult to see at times. You can identify it mostly by the center star Antares. The constellation and the main star Antares are the brightest in the nighttime sky.
Other Legends
- A lesser known legend about the origin of the Scorpio constellation was that Maui, the chief of Gods used a jawbone as a fishhook to bring the islands up from the underworld. After bringing the islands back up, Maui tossed his fishhook in the sky and it created the outline of the Scorpio constellation.

Astronomy