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Story: Night sky

Scorpius

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Scorpius

Scorpius is a prominent constellation, located high in the sky during the southern hemisphere winter. It forms a long S-shape in a dense region of the Milky Way. Its brightest star is Antares, a conspicuous red star that is the scorpion’s heart.

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Starry Night Photography

by Chris Picking

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How to cite this page

John Field and Maggy Wassilieff, Night sky – Seasonal stars, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/7920/scorpius (accessed 5 June 2026).

Story by John Field and Maggy Wassilieff, published 2 March 2009.