Scorpius is home to a dense variety of star clusters. Two examples are M6 and M7, which are to the upper left of the stars that form the scorpion's "stinger." Under dark skies, both are visible to the unaided eye.
Weekly Stargazing Tips
Provided by StarDate.org. Unless otherwise specified, viewing times are local time regardless of time zone, and are good for the entire Lower 48 states (and, generally, for Alaska and Hawaii).
July 15: Scorpius Clusters
July 16: Moon and Scorpion
The stars that represent the head of the scorpion align near the Moon tonight. From the top, the stars are known as Pi, Delta, and Beta Scorpii. Beta is the brightest of the three. It's also the most complicated, consisting of six individual stars.
July 17: Moon and Antares
The Moon has a close companion tonight: Antares, the bright star that marks the heart of the scorpion. Antares is one of the biggest and brightest stars in the entire galaxy. It is expected to explode as a supernova sometime in the next million years.
July 18: Evening Mercury
Mercury, the Sun's closest planet, is just peeking into view in the evening twilight. It looks like a fairly bright star, quite low in the western sky as night falls. The view is better from more southerly locations, and binoculars will help you find it.
July 19: Hercules
Hercules stands directly overhead this evening. Four moderately bright stars form a lopsided square that represents his body, while his head points southward. He is surrounded by several of the monsters he dispatched, including Hydra, the water snake.
July 20: Biggest Black Hole
BH3 is the largest black hole of its type yet discovered-33 times the mass of the Sun. It formed when a supergiant star collapsed. It and a companion star are in the east at nightfall, to the left of bright Altair, but you need a big telescope to see the system.
July 21: Pluto at Opposition
Pluto is lining up opposite the Sun, so it rises around sunset and is in the sky all night. It's brightest for the year as well, although you need a good-sized telescope to see it, in Capricornus. Tonight, it's not far to the upper right of the Moon at nightfall.