The Fixed Stars

Sargas

Theta Scorpii

A name of Sumerian origin, bound up with the sting of the figure. It stands at about 15° Sagittarius (tropical).

A bright star in the crook of the tail, turning toward the sting.

Theta Scorpii is one of the brightest stars of the tail, a yellow giant anchoring the low crook of the coil where it turns up toward the sting. The name Sargas is of Sumerian origin, old enough that its exact sense is uncertain, though it is tied to the sting-end of the figure. Ptolemy likened the stars in the sting to Mercury and Mars. It lies within the nakshatra Mula, the root.