Scorpius- Dreams of Summer
Scorpius, the giant scorpion, leads the way for Summer and the Milky Way.
Light pollution makes it hard to see the stars, but easy to dream.
Grand Lake is the largest inland lake in Ohio. A great place to enjoy water activities and camping. The light pollution means it's not quite as nice for enjoying stars, but the colorful glow is magical in its own way. To the right of the golden glow of the Milky Way and lights from the town below, is Scorpius. Its red star, Antares, helps point the way to the Milky Way even before the sky is dark enough to see it. If, in fact, you are lucky enough to see the Milky Way with your naked eye at all.
Here I have sketched the lines of the Scorpius constellation to show you where it is and what it looks like in front (right) of the Milky Way.
When you see Antares and Scorpius in the sky, you know the Milky Way is sure to follow.
Antares is one of the brightest stars in our night sky. It is red, its name means “not Mars” and it is the heart of the scorpion.
Antares is an important star for my art. It is the first star I reference when finding the Milky Way to photograph.
It is one of the stars of the Rho Ophiuchi star system. The Milky Way is not easy to see in the sky without knowing what it looks like, especially hard in the light pollution I am often dealing with.
Antares is a red giant, easily mistaken for Mars- hence the name “Not Mars”.
Antares is one of the stars in the Scorpius constellation, between head/claws and tail- hence the nickname “heart of the scorpion”.
Antares and Scorpius light the way to the Milky Way for me at night, and the Teapot of Sagittarius brings up the rear. Sagittarius is harder to spot at night, but with practice it becomes easier to recognize.
Here I use a photo from a darker sky area to show you how I use these elements to find the Milky Way at night.
Here I have sketched the lines of the Sagittarius constellation to show you where it is and what it looks like behind (left of) the Milky Way.
Looking at this image can transport you to a lakeside cabin. Where you remember carefree Summer nights and dream of relaxing vacations to come.
Dreams are all about thinking of future possibilities and adding wishing stones to our buckets of life.
Antares, the heart of the scorpion, is one of the brightest stars in our night sky. It is a red giant and its name translates as “not Mars”.
If you are interested in purchasing an art print from my portfolio please email me today at Cori@cojackphotography.com