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this evening local time, look below it for the nearby bright star. Tonight the moon pays a visit to Antares, the ruddy heart of the constellation Scorpius, the Scorpion. The star's reddish character may be hard to discern next to the spotlight of the big and brilliant moon. Antares may also be twinkling madly and shifting colors. When a star lies low in the sky, we see it through much more air than if it is straight overhead. This increases the chances that atmospheric turbulence will distort incoming starlight. Antares: Heart of the Scorpion Antares is a supergiant star and appears red because its outer layers are cool - at least cooler compared to other stars. Although it appears as a mere pinpoint of light in our night sky, Antares is so large that if it were to take the place of our sun, it would extend beyond the orbit of Mars. Yes, even the great Celestial Scorpion has a heart. Use the moon to find Antares, the Scorpion's beating heart, tonight!
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