Scorpius is one of the most ancient and the most recognizable constellations in the night sky. The pattern of stars that create this constellation can easily be imagined as a scorpion. According to mythology, Scorpius is the scorpion that the earth goddess Gaia sent to attack and kill the hunter Orion. The image of the scorpion was placed opposite to Orion's in the sky, so the two will never appear together in the sky at the same time. Within the stars of the constellation is the bright red star Antares whose name means "rival of Mars". Just like the planet Mars, this star has a brilliant red color, and ancient skywatchers would compare these two red objects. Scorpius can be found low in the southern sky during the summer months. From the United States the constellation never rises very high above the horizon, so a clear viewing area is needed to observe this gorgeous star pattern.