Today, we seek solstice in Scorpius, the ominous summer constellation. You understand that we have been consigned to the frigid depths since Caesar's last haircut and have grown ever so weary of this interminable thermal deficiency. Consequently, we'll turn our attentions to that dreaded claw-snapper as it will both remind us of the sultry summers we've experienced and herald the inevitable return of the next one.
Scorpius the Scorpion lurks low in the southeastern pre-dawn twilight. After having been obscured by the Sun since November, this southern summer star pattern slowly emerges back onto the early morning stage. One will have to venture out in the ultra wee hours to find it. Antares, the brightest star representing the Scorpion's heart, peeks above the horizon at 5:00 a.m. and, as though impeded by winter's lethargy, trudges up slowly, barely ascending twenty degrees before it dissolves in the brightening twilight.
Despite its poor reputation, Scorpius is one of our favorite constellations as it actually resembles the creature it's supposed to represent. An arc of stars forms a head and claws, while another larger curling arc marks a body and lethal stinger.
Scorpius the Scorpion
Scorpius actually owes its reputation to its appearance, for it has assumed the form of a scorpion or comparably loathsome monster since the ancient Egyptian period when it slew Horus, son of Isis and Osiris.* Perhaps the best known tale of Scorpius relates to its slaughter of Orion the Hunter. When Orion, who presides high in our winter evening sky, once declared that he could kill any beast, Diana, goddess of the moon and protector of wild animals, conjured Scorpius and cast him onto the world. The Scorpion readily found and then promptly slew Orion with a quick ankle bite.**
Both Orion and Scorpius were placed in the sky and adorned with bright stars. Curiously, they occupy opposite parts of the firmament, so when one is visible, the other is not, at least at this latitude. This separation was deemed necessary to prevent them from ever fighting again.
Curiously, both Orion and Scorpius are each known for possessing a brilliant red super giant star: Betelgeuse in Orion and Antares in Scorpius. Betelgeuse is Orion's eastern shoulder. Antares is the Scorpion's heart. Both of these stars are so enormous one could fit millions of Suns inside each one. They also exhibit a distinct reddish color, resulting from their relatively cool effective temperatures (2300 - 3000 degrees along their photosphere.) That's quite a definition of the word "cool."
So, by the time we see Scorpius and its red supergiant heart star, Antares, Orion and therefore Betelgeuse, will have already set. And, though the world is a maelstrom of lacerating winds passing over iron-hard ground, the return of Antares in our early morning sky gives us hope that humane weather will soon return.
*An important side note: Fortunately, Isis resurrected her son with a magical elixir prepared by Thoth, Egyptian god of astronomy. So Dumbledore, you dim wit, magic can raise the dead.
**And, to reflect the Egyptian legend, Ophiuchus the Serpent charmer, revived Orion just as Thoth brought back Horus. Unfortunately, Zeus struck Orion back down and, for good measure, sent a killing bolt onto Ophiuchus for his impertinence. It is said that Zeus killed Ophiuchus reluctantly, for he admired the serpent charmer's skill, but realized that a mortal gifted with such powers would be nothing but trouble to the murderous Olympians.