Back in February we spoke of the ecliptic, that mysterious line in the sky along which the Sun, Moon and planets seem to move. It has been called by other names such as "the Road of the Sun." The constellations along the ecliptic are called the Zodiac.
Of the twelve zodiacal constellations, Libra is the only star pattern that does not represent a person or an animal. The correct pronunciation, by the way, is "Li-bra," not "Lee-bra" (one lecturer at New Yorks Hayden Planetarium many years ago used to remind his audiences by stating "You go to a Li-brary, not a Lee-brary").
Known as the Scales or the Balance, Libra is marked by an oblong figure of stars and owes its importance only to its position in the zodiac. It supposedly consists of a beam with two pans hanging from it, for weighing things. The load in the right-hand pan must be heavier, for the balance is tilted down on that side. Libra was once associated with the constellation Virgo, as the scales of the goddess of Justice which that figure was supposed to represent.
able --> Just to the east (left) of Libra these late June evenings, the most beautiful zodiacal constellation can be found emerging into view low in the southeast sky: Scorpius, the Scorpion.
Scorpions have two large claws in front, but this one seems to have had his claws clipped. In fact, the claws were indeed cut off to form Libra. A few thousand years ago, Romans decided that there should be 12 constellations in the zodiac, instead of 11, so they made the two claws of Scorpius into the arms of Libra, the Balance.
Libra was also known as "the Claws" of Scorpius the Scorpion to the poet Aratus and others of classical times. In fact, two of Libras stars still bear the Arabic names, Zubeneschamali and Zubenelgenubi, meaning respectively, "Northern Claw" and "Southern Claw." Zubeneschamali also has a very faint greenish tinge: the only green naked-eye star.
The whole figure of the scorpion is a magnificent sight -- sort of a "celestial fish-hook" -- and is best appreciated now in a dark sky without any interference from bright moonlight. It really looks like a huge scorpion, with its long stinging tail curled over its back.
Note that the currently accepted name of this constellation is Scorpius, not Scorpio. Principally astrologers (and some older astronomy books) use the latter for labeling the zodiacal sign of that name.
One star of Scorpius clearly outshines the others, with a fiery tinge seemingly emphasizing the scorpions sinister appearance. Thats Antares, the so-called "rival of Mars," Ares being Greek for Mars.
Antares is a supergiant, 700 times the Suns diameter, more than 9,000 times as luminous and located 604 light-years away. The stars Shaula and Lesath are a close pair of stars in the Scorpions stinger. Astronomy popularizer Hans A. Rey (1898-1977) christened these stars the "Cats Eyes," noting, "You will find the name quite fitting."
Basic Sky Guides
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