AntaresAmy Hoffmann

Antares

Star in the constellation Scorpio Greek for “Rival of Mars” or “Rival of

Ares” Antares is sometimes mistaken for

Mars when they’re close because they’re both red

Mars and Antares actually conjunct every two years

Importance

One of the biggest stars ever known Brightest star in the constellation

Scorpio 16th brightest star in the night sky One of the four brightest stars in the

ecliptic

Star Type

Red supergiant with a surface temperature of about 3500 kelvins

Like other red supergiants, it lies in a red cloud, this one measuring 5 light years in diameter

Red cloud is made of metallic dust, not gas

Member of the M1 spectral class

Size

300 times the size of the sun More than twice the diameter of

Earth’s orbit If placed in our solar system, it would

cover all the inner planets and extend well into the asteroid belt

Distance

604 light years away from earth

Brightness

Even though it’s bigger than the sun, it’s much cooler

Its size gives it its brightness; the bigger the star, the bigger amount of area it radiates light

3000 times the sun’s luminosity

Where and When to View

July through August 67 degrees south latitude 63 degrees north latitude

Death

Antares is close to the end of its lifetime The implosion of a star 15-18 times

bigger than the mass of our sun will cause a huge supernova explosion

This will ultimately leave either a tiny neutron star, or a black hole

Scientists don’t have an exact death date, but, when in fact it comes, people will be able to watch this star death without being at risk

Video

http://video.answers.com/supernova-and-death-of-a-star-516907872

History and Myth

In Greek mythology, Antares was known as the anti-Mars

It was considered to be Mars’ rival Known better in ancient times as

“The Heart of the Scorpion”

Citations

www.windows2universe.org www.earthsky.org www.souledout.org www.bing.com www.video.answers.com