Antares Region and M4

Antares, or alpha Scorpius, is a red giant of spectral class M1 with an apparent magnitude of 1.09 mag. The whole region around Antares and Rho Ophiuchi is full of intergalactic dust. The orange-red light of the giant star is scattered by this dust and produces beautifully luminous reflection nebulae. A little to the west of Antares is the large globular cluster M4. Just above it is Sigma Scorpii, a blue B2 star. On the one hand, its light creates blue reflection nebulae, but its radiation also produces a red glowing gas nebula Sh2-9. 22 Scorpii, which produces the blue glowing reflection nebula IC4605, is located at the top left of the image. The smaller globular cluster above Antares is NGC 6144.