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Scorpius
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Constellations Visible in Canadian Skies
Select a constellation from the list below to learn more:
Aquarius
Aquila
Aries
Auriga
Boötes
Cancer
Canis Major
Canis Minor
Capricornus
Cassiopeia
Cygnus
Gemini
Hercules
Hydra
Libra
Leo
Lyra
Orion
Perseus
Pisces
Sagittarius
Scorpius
Taurus
Ursa Minor and Ursa Major
Virgo
Legend
Scorpius represents the scorpion that killed the hunter Orion. Orion was so proud of his hunting skills that he boasted he could track down and kill any animal on Earth. This boast was so incredible that the Earth trembled in rage and cracked open. Out of the crack crawled a scorpion, which then stung Orion to death. Out of pity, the gods placed Orion and Scorpius on opposite sides of the sky so there could be no more trouble between them.
The brightest star in Scorpius is called Antares. This star is quite red, and a lot of people mistake it for Mars. That's probably why Antares got its name. Ares was the god of war, also known as Mars, and "ant-" means "against". So, Antares — anti-Ares — means "the rival of Mars".
