Ssummer in the northern hemisphere brings the best chance to see one of the true gems of the night sky. Antares is the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius, the scorpion. It is a red supergiant, about 15 times more massive than the Sun, and is about 550 light years away.
Antares shines a spectacular red color. It is visible all week, and on the evening of August 13 the moon makes a short path. At 8.5 days old, the moon is just past its first quarter phase and has illuminated 61.8% of its surface.
The chart shows the view looking south from London at 21:00 BST on 13 August. The conjunction will be visible in the fading twilight.
Because Scorpius is located in the southern hemisphere, the conjunction will be easier to see from the southern hemisphere, where the pairing will appear much higher in the sky.
For those who miss it on August 13, the moon will also appear near Antares the following night. This time it will be on the east side of the star and lit up a bit more.
