Look to the south of Hercules and you will run into an asterism known as The Coffin which is in fact the main part of the

Look to the south of Hercules and you will run into an asterism known as The Coffin which is in fact the main part of the constellation Ophiuchus, The Serpent Holder. To the west of the southern most section of The Coffin is the front part of the serpent: the constellation called Serpens Caput meaning The Head Of The Snake.

In between and slightly below Serpens Caput and Virgo is the constellation Libra, The Weighing Scales.

To the southwest of Libra, you will notice a bright orange or reddish star of zero magnitude. This red giant star is Antares in the head of Scorpius, The Scorpion. This star received that name because it rivals the planet Mars in its redness since in the Greek language Antares means “Rival of Mars”. Observers in more southern climes may be able to see the entire constellation this month. If you are in a far northern latitude, this star may be the lowest part of Scorpius that is visible at this time. Should this be the case, you should be able to see more, if not all, of this constellation in July. Approximately two thirds of the constellation is shown in the above illustration.