Look toward the southwest to see Scorpius the Scorpion spread out just above the horizon.
Antares, a bright red star at the heart of the Scorpion, is the 15th brightest star in the sky. Its name Antares means “like Mars”. Sometimes Antares is called the “rival of Mars.”
It’s a good time to compare them. This evening Mars sits just above and to the right of Antares, but Mars is slowly creeping closer to Antares. Try to follow them for the next several days as Mars gradually moves eastward.
Don’t forget about the moon. The moon will be very close to Saturn Saturday night, and just west of the head of Scorpius on Sunday night.
On Sunday night Mars is only 3 degrees north of Antares. These objects should be quite beautiful in low-power binoculars. Mars will be a little brighter than Antares. While Antares may be said to be the “rival of Mars,” it truly is a far more majestic object being a supergiant star far larger and brighter than the sun.
