Starwatch: look out for Antares, a true jewel of the night sky

Summer in the northern hemisphere brings with it the best chance to see one of the true jewels of the night sky. Antares is the brightest star in the constellation of Scorpius, the scorpion. It is a red supergiant, about 15 times more massive than the sun, and is about 550 light years away from us.

Antares shines a spectacular red colour. It is visible all week, and on the evening of 13 August the moon makes a close pass. At 8.5 days old, the moon is just past its first quarter phase and has 61.8% of its surface illuminated.

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 celestial hemisphere, the conjunction will be easier to see from the southern hemisphere, where the pairing will appear much higher in the sky.

For who that miss it on 13 August, the moon will also appear close to Antares on the following night. This time it will be on the eastern side of the star and a little more illuminated.