Antares, a red supergiant star in the constellation Scorpius, is celebrated as the brightest stellar object in its region and a remarkable example of a slow irregular variable. Its reddish color, evoking that of Mars, inspired its Greek-derived name, "rival of Ares." Writers have long been fascinated by its radiant presence: William Tyler Olcott described its soft red glow as a "miniature presentment of the sun," while H.G. Wells incorporated it into a surreal cosmic vision of disappearing stars.
Martha Evans Martin observed its visibility in the night sky, contrasting its constant light with the motion of planets, and Richard A. Proctor emphasized its status as a "Sirius of red stars," pointing out its dual character as part of a binary system. These diverse viewpoints—from scientific study to literary imagery—highlight Antares' role as both an astronomical object and a symbol of celestial magnificence, connecting empirical research with human imagination.
William Tyler Olcott,
Star Lore Of All Ages — Scorpio…
(1911)
“ Antares belongs to Secchi's third spectroscopic type of stars, the suns that are slowly growing cold as their fires burn low. Like huge embers they still glow with latent heat, like sullen demons doomed to death these flame-scourged suns await the frigid touch that time bestows on life, be it on this mundane sphere or in the uttermost parts of the firmament. ”
William Tyler Olcott,
Star Lore Of All Ages — Scorpio…
(1911)
“ It is the face of Antares whose red light shining through the heavy atmosphere is so diffused that it gives a rosy effect to the sky for a considerable distance around the star, like a miniature presentment of the sun as it rises on a hazy morning. ”
Various, Popular Science Monthly (1887)
“ You will recognize Antares by its fiery color, as well as by the striking arrangement of its surrounding stars. There are few constellations which bear so close a resemblance to the objects they are named after as Scorpio. It does not require a very violent exercise of the imagination to see in this long, winding trail of stars a gigantic scorpion, with its head to the west, and flourishing its upraised sting that glitters with a pair of twin stars, as if ready to strike. ”
