Scorpius contains many bright stars, including Antares, "rival of Mars," so named because of its distinct reddish hue; β1 Sco, a triple star; δ Sco ; θ Sco ; ν Sco ; ξ Sco; π Sco ; σ Sco ; and τ Sco and υ Sco, whose names both mean "sting." Given their proximity to one another, λ Sco and υ Sco are sometimes referred to as the Cat's Eyes. The constellation's bright stars form a pattern like a longshoreman's hook. Most of them are massive members of the nearest OB association: Scorpius-Centaurus. The star δ Sco, after having been a stable 2.3 magnitude star, flared in July 2000 to 1.9 in a matter of weeks. It has since become a variable star fluctuating between 2.0 and 1.6. This means that at its brightest it is the second brightest star in Scorpius. U Scorpii is the fastest known nova with a period of about 10 years. The close pair of stars ω¹ Scorpii and ω² Scorpii are an optical double, which can be resolved by the unaided eye. They have contrasting blue and yellow colours. The star once designated γ Sco is today known as σ Lib. Moreover, the entire constellation of Libra was considered to be claws of Scorpius in Ancient Greek times, with a set of scales held aloft by Astraea being formed from these western-most stars during later Greek times. The division into Libra was formalised during Roman times.
In Greek mythology, several myths associated with Scorpio attribute it to Orion. According to one version, Orion boasted to the goddess Artemis and her mother, Leto, that he would kill every animal on Earth. Artemis and Leto sent a scorpion to kill Orion. Their battle caught the attention of Zeus, who raised both combatants to the sky to serve as a reminder for mortals to curb their excessive pride. In another version of the myth, Artemis' twin brother, Apollo, was the one who sent the scorpion to kill Orion after the hunter earned the goddess' favor by admitting she was better than him. After Zeus raised Orion and the scorpion to the sky, the former hunts every winter but flees every summer when the scorpion comes. In both versions, Artemis asked Zeus to raise Orion. In a Greek myth without Orion, the celestial scorpion encountered Phaethon while he was driving his father Helios' Sun Chariot.
Origins
The Babylonians called this constellation MUL.GIR.TAB - the 'Scorpion', the signs can be literally read as 'the a burning sting'. In some old descriptions the constellation of Libra is treated as the Scorpion's claws. Libra was known as the Claws of the Scorpion in Babylonian and in Greek.
The Javanese people of Indonesia call this constellation Banyakangrem or Kalapa Doyong due to the shape similarity.
In Hawaii, Scorpius is known as the demigod Maui's Fishhook or Ka Makau Nui o Māui and the name of fishhook was Manaiakalani.
Scorpius was divided into two asterisms which were used by Bugis sailors for navigation. The northern part of Scorpius was called bintoéng lambarué, meaning "skate stars". The southern part of Scorpius was called bintoéng balé mangngiwéng, meaning "shark stars".
