Scorpius skôr´pēəs [key] or Scorpio –pēō [key] [Lat.,=the scorpion], conspicuous southern constellation lying on the ecliptic (the sun's apparent path through the heavens) between Sagittarius and Libra it is one of the constellations of the zodiac . Scorpius contains the bright stars Antares (Alpha Scorpii) and Shaula (Lambda Scorpii) a recurrent nova that flared up in 1863, 1906, and 1936 and Scorpius XR-1, the strongest X-ray source in the sky. The constellation reaches its highest point in the evening sky in July.


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