Bright reddish Antares – also known as Alpha Scorpii – is easy to spot on a summer night. It is the brightest star – and distinctly reddish in color – in the fishhook-shaped pattern of stars known as the constellation Scorpius the Scorpion. Follow the links below to learn more about this wonderful star.

How to see Antares

Antares science

Antares in history and myth

Scorpius is one of the few constellations that looks like its namesake. The bright red star Antares marks the Scorpion's Heart. Notice also the two stars at the tip of the Scorpion's Tail. They are known as The Stinger.
Scorpius is one of the few constellations that looks like its namesake. The bright red star Antares marks the Scorpion’s Heart. Notice also the two stars at the tip of the Scorpion’s Tail. They are known as The Stinger.

How to see Antares. If you look southward in early evening from late spring to early fall, you’re likely to notice the fishhook pattern of Scorpius the Scorpion, with ruby Antares at its heart. If you think you’ve found Antares, aim binoculars in its direction. You should notice its reddish color. And you should see a little star cluster – known as M4 – just to the right of this star. (See images above)

Antares is the 16th brightest star in the sky, and it is located in the half of Earth’s sky. So your chance of seeing this star on any given night increases as you go farther southward on Earth’s globe. If you traveled to the hemisphere – from about 67 degrees south latitude – you’d find that Antares is circumpolar, meaning that it never sets and is visible every night of the year from Earth’s most regions.

We in the hemisphere know Antares better than several other stars that are brighter. That’s because Antares is visible from throughout most of the hemisphere, of the Arctic. Well, not quite the Arctic, but anywhere south of 63 degrees north latitude can – at one time or another – see Antares. (Helsinki yes, Fairbanks, no)

The midnight culmination of Antares is on or near June 1. That is when Antares is highest in the sky at midnight (midway between sunset and sunrise). It is highest in the sky at about dawn in early March and at about sunset in early September.