Antares

[ an-tair-eez, -tar- ]

noun

, Astronomy.

1. a red supergiant star of the first magnitude in the constellation Scorpius.

Antares

/ ænˈtɛəriːz /

noun

1. the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius. It is a variable binary star whose main component, a red supergiant, is associated with a fainter green component. Visual magnitude: 1.2 (red), 6.8 (green); spectral type: M1.5Ib (red); distance: 600 light years

Word History and Origins

Origin of Antares¹

from Greek Antarēs, literally: simulating Mars (in colour), from anti- + Arēs Mars

Example Sentences

Let’s get back to my summertime favorites of Vega, Arcturus and Antares.

From Scientific American

Antares marks the heart of Scorpius, and from our temperate latitudes rises in the southeast as Betelgeuse sets in the west.

From Washington Post

Chinese inscriptions dating to 1300 B.C.E. record Antares as being red like Mars—a comparison that turns up time and time again across the Northern Hemisphere and through subsequent ages.

From Scientific American

The Antares rocket launches Northrop's Cygnus cargo spacecraft to the space station.

From Reuters

The freeze may most acutely affect Northrop Grumman, which uses Russian-made engines for its Antares launch vehicle that ferries cargo to the space station for NASA.

From New York Times