Scorpio [23 October – 21 November] | star sign, horoscope and zodiac facts

Scorpio [23 October – 21 November] | star sign, horoscope, astrological and zodiac facts

August 14, 2018

Scorpio is the eighth astrological sign of the zodiac spanning 23 October – 21 November. It’s also a water sign – the others being Pisces and Cancer. Scorpio’s symbol is the scorpion, which its name is Latin for and its origin constellation is Scorpius.

The colours associated with Scorpio are scarlet, red and rusty tones. Its celestial bodies are Pluto and Mars. Scorpio is associated with the fixed quality; that of transformation, progress, change and determination.

Dates: October 23 – November 21
Symbol: The Scorpion
Element: Water
Colour: Scarlet, red, rust
Day: Tuesday
Celestial: Pluto, Mars
Quality: Fixed
Most compatible: Cancer, Taurus
Birthstones: Ruby, garnet, topaz, obsidian, red coral, apache tears, beryl
Scent: Lotus, black oud and cedar wood

Traits of a Scorpio

Strengths: Brave, passionate, resourceful, loyal, friendly, truthful

Weaknesses: Can be secretive, distrustful, jealous and stubborn

Those born during the Scorpio zodiac are brave, passionate and assertive. Often unafraid to forge ahead and lead from the front they can be great decision makers, driven by their determination and decisiveness. Scorpios are adept at problem solving and like to approach things precisely and rigorously - which is why they can make good scientists and managers.

Being a water sign, Scorpios are usually not afraid to express their emotions, though they can be more secretive in their display of them than other water signs. Being good secret keepers themselves, Scorpios are good at keeping the secrets of their friends too – loyalty and truth are important to them. Break this trust though and you’ll be sure to feel the sting of those born under this constellation. A Scorpio will vary rarely forgive you more than once.

Pluto, this zodiac signs ruler, is the planet of transformation and regeneration. It relates to Scorpios trademark calm and cool behaviour, sometimes surrounded by a little bit of mystery.

Scorpios honesty and bravery, combined with their quick-wittedness make them good friends, who can be full of surprises. Just make sure to be honest with them.

Scorpios dislike dishonesty and as a result this can make them prone to being suspicious or jealous. It can be good idea for a Scorpio to practice adapting to different personalities and to think people’s actions through carefully before jumping to conclusions.

The Scorpius constellation

The scorpius / scorpio constellation in the night sky Scorpio originates from the Scorpius constellation - one of the 48 constellations identified by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy. The constellation itself is pretty ancient, pre-dating the Greeks. Scorpius lies with Libra to its west and Sagittarius to its east and is in the southern hemisphere, near the centre of the milky way.The Scorpius Constellation

There are many bright stars in a Scorpius such as Antares (‘’rival of mars’’) – named after its reddish colour; β¹ Sco, a triple star; ν Sco (Jabbah); ξ Sco(Girtab, "the scorpion") and τ Sco (or Alniyat, "the arteries").

At the top of the constellations curved tail are λ Sco (Shaula) and υ Sco (Lesath), whose names both mean sting. The stings are sometimes referred to as the Cat's Eyes too, given their close proximity to one another.

Being location in the centre of the milky way, Scorpius is home to many deep-sky objects such as Messier 6 (the Butterfly Cluster), Messier 7 (the Ptolemy Cluster), NGC 6302 (the Bug Nebula) and NGC 6334 (the Cat’s Paw Nebula) – a star forming region.

From the Northern Hemisphere, Scorpius is at its height in the evening on nights of July and August – the best time to see it.

Scorpio in History and Mythology

In Ancient Greek mythology Scorpio can be found alongside the story of Orion ( you probably know the famous Orion’s Belt constellation). According to the myth Orion was boasting to goddess Artemis (the renowned huntress) and her mother Leto that he was going to kill every animal on earth. Not best pleased at this (Artemis being the protector of animals), Leto and Artemis sent a scorpion to put Orion in his place. After a fierce battle, the scorpion bested Orion, who Zues ascended to the stars as a reminder for mortals to monitor their own excessive pride.

A different variation tells how Orion and Artemis were getting on rather well, too well in fact, according to her twin brother Apollo. In this story Apollo sent Scorpio to deal with the overly boastful Orion.

Either way, every winter Orion hunts in the sky and every summer he runs away as the Scorpius constellation reaches its height in the night sky.

In Ancient Baylonian Mythology, the Scorpius constellation was called MUL.GIR.TAB - the 'Scorpion', more literally, the signs can be read as 'the creature with a burning sting'.

The Javanese people of Indonesia call Scorpius Banyakangrem ("the brooded swan")or Kalapa Doyong ("leaning coconut tree")– you can see why, due to the constellations shape.

In Hawaii, Scorpius is known as the fishhook belonging to the demigod Maui Fishhook –Manaiakalani. Legend says this fishhook was used to pull the islands of Hawaii from the sea.