Antares: how to find it and when to see it
Antares ranks 16th of the 74 bright stars on our list, at magnitude 1.06, in the constellation Scorpius.
You can see it from anywhere south of 64° N, and it's highest in the evening sky in July.
Antares at a glance
- Constellation
- Scorpius
- Magnitude
- 1.06
- Rank on our list
- 16 of 74
- Hemisphere
- Southern
- Right ascension
- 16 h 29 min
- Declination
- 26.4° south
- Visible from
- south of 64° N
- Never sets
- south of 64° S
- Best evening
- 14 July
- Name from
- Greek
Where Antares is in the sky
Antares sits 26.4° south of the celestial equator, the line in the sky directly above Earth's equator, so it's in the southern half of the sky. Its right ascension is 16 h 29 min.
Right ascension works like longitude on the sky. It's counted in hours, and about one hour of it turns past you each hour of the night.
When and where to see Antares
From the northern hemisphere
From 40° N, the latitude of New York, Madrid and Beijing, Antares rises in the south-east, climbs to 24° above the horizon in the south and sets in the south-west.
It's in the evening sky from June to August, and it's highest in the evening around 14 July, in summer.
From the southern hemisphere
From 34° S, the latitude of Sydney, Cape Town and Buenos Aires, Antares rises in the south-east, climbs to 82° above the horizon in the north and sets in the south-west.
It's in the evening sky from April to October, and it's highest in the evening around 14 July, in winter.
How high Antares climbs from each latitude
The evening is about 9 pm local time, or 10 pm in summer time, and later when the sky is still too bright. A star counts as in the evening sky when it's at least 10° above the horizon.
| Latitude | Visibility | Highest point | Evening sky |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60° N | Rises and sets | 4° in the south | None |
| 50° N | Rises and sets | 14° in the south | Jul |
| 40° N | Rises and sets | 24° in the south | Jun to Aug |
| 30° N | Rises and sets | 34° in the south | May to Aug |
| 20° N | Rises and sets | 44° in the south | May to Sept |
| Equator | Rises and sets | 64° in the south | May to Sept |
| 20° S | Rises and sets | 84° in the south | May to Sept |
| 34° S | Rises and sets | 82° in the north | Apr to Oct |
| 45° S | Rises and sets | 71° in the north | Apr to Oct |
What the name Antares means
Antares comes from the Greek antarēs, rival of Ares, the Greek name for Mars. Its red colour looks like the planet's.
Keep the sky of a night that matters
Our star maps show the stars above any place, at the minute you choose, with the constellation lines drawn in. If Antares was above the horizon that night, it's on your map, and we print it on museum-grade paper.
Questions about Antares
Antares is in Scorpius. It sits 26.4° south of the celestial equator, at a right ascension of 16 h 29 min.
Antares is highest in the evening sky around 14 July. That's summer in the northern hemisphere and winter in the southern hemisphere.
Yes, from anywhere south of 64° N. From 40° N, it climbs to 24° above the horizon in the south.
Antares has a magnitude of 1.06, which ranks it 16th of the 74 bright stars on our list. Sirius looks about 10 times brighter.
Antares comes from the Greek antarēs, rival of Ares, the Greek name for Mars. Its red colour looks like the planet's.