Sky watch: Antares' stellar quirks make it one of a kind

"If you've seen one star, you've seen 'em all!"

Well, I suppose that's true to one who seldom peers at the nighttime sky. To those of us who spend more time looking up than down, however, few statements could be further from the truth.

It may also be difficult for some to imagine that one could actually have a "favorite" star. But I do. The reason, you see, is that stars - like people - have their own personalities. Once we begin to know them as individuals, they take on many charms and quirks that are unique to them. But most of us don't ever take the time to get to know the stars. And that's a cosmic shame.

My favorite star? Antares, the brightest in the constellation Scorpius, which rises after dark this week and appears low in the southeastern sky during late evening.

I think of Antares as my favorite perhaps because I remember watching it intently as a child. It's a star visible in the summertime, when school is out and the weather is warm. Quite often, there was the smell of freshly mowed lawns in the air, and folks were out around the neighborhood. Lying back on the cool grass of my backyard, I gazed wide-eyed as Antares rose above the Coursins' house, and shone its ruddy glow through the sultry haze of summertime.

What warm and comforting memories these are from such a magical time of discovery. Even today as Antares appears in the southeast after dark, I get a huge smile on my face as I joyfully greet my closest celestial childhood friend.

Today, I recognize Antares as a red supergiant near the end of its stellar life. The star is so huge that if brought to our solar system and placed where the sun is, the star's atmosphere would engulf the orbits of Mercury, Venus, Earth and probably Mars. And it's so distant that the light we see tonight has been traveling through space for more than half a millennium. To me, these bits of information make the star even more "personable."

So this spring and summer, when you're out gazing skyward and feel a tendency to dismiss the stars as being "all alike," take some time to get to know them better. After all, stars are people, too!