Antares (/ænˈtɑːriːz/), also known by its Bayer designation Alpha Scorpii (abbreviated to α Scorpii or α Sco), is the fifteenth brightest star in the nighttime sky and the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius, and is often referred to as "the heart of the scorpion". Along with Aldebaran, Regulus, and Fomalhaut, Antares comprises the group known as the 'Royal stars of Persia'. It is one of the four brightest stars near the ecliptic.
Distinctly reddish when viewed with the unaided eye, Antares is a red supergiant of spectral type M0.5Iab and is one of the largest and most luminous observable stars. It is a slow irregular variable star with the quoted magnitude of +0.96. Antares is the brightest, most massive, and most evolved stellar member of the nearest OB association (the Scorpius-Centaurus Association). Antares is a member of the Upper Scorpius subgroup of the Scorpius-Centaurus Association, which contains thousands of stars with mean age 11 million years at a distance of approximately 145 parsecs (470 light years).
Antares is a star in the constellation Scorpius.
Antares may also refer to:
Antares is a 2004 Austrian film directed by Götz Spielmann. It was Austria's submission to the 77th Academy Awards for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but was not accepted as a nominee. The movie is a sexual drama that focuses on adultery, abusive relationships, and sexual frustration. Critics claim that the film also explores the relationship between Austria and its former empire through immigration.
A car accident connects the lives of a nurse (Petra Morzé), a supermarket checkout girl (Susanne Wuest), and a real-estate agent (Andreas Kiendl), all involved in complex and dysfunctional relationships.