Home > Constellations, Ephemeris Program, Mythology, Observing > Ephemeris: 05/15/2026 – Orion flees the evening sky as Scorpius rises

Ephemeris: 05/15/2026 – Orion flees the evening sky as Scorpius rises

May 15, 2026 Leave a comment Go to comments

This is Ephemeris for Friday, May 15th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 49 minutes, setting at 9:04, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:13. The Moon, 1 day before new, will rise at 5:34 tomorrow morning.

Orion the winter constellation is just about gone from our spring skies. Only the top part of his club is left in the west as evening twilight fades. Rising in the southeast at the same time is his nemesis the constellation Scorpius the scorpion. According to Greek mythology, Orion was killed by a giant scorpion. And that scorpion of course was Scorpius. It was sent by the goddess of the earth Gaia. Orion, the mighty hunter, had boasted that he could kill any creature. So this was his final comeuppance. In that battle he was killed by the sting of that scorpion. And that is why Scorpius and Orion can never be in the sky at the same time. Orion won’t venture into the evening sky until Scorpius is long gone in late autumn.

The astronomical event times given in this blog are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (Lat 44.7° N, Long 85.7° W; EDT, UT – 4 hours) unless stated otherwise. Times will be different for other locations.

Addendum

Scorpius chasing Orion out of the evening sky. Two views of the horizon at 11 PM, with Scorpius rising in the southeast, while all that's left of Orion is upraised right forearm and club setting in the west.
Scorpius chasing Orion out of the evening sky. Two views of the horizon at 11 PM, with Scorpius rising in the southeast, while all that’s left of Orion is his upraised right forearm and club setting in the west. Created using Stellarium, LibreOffice Draw and GIMP.
Orion's fatal clash with the giant scorpion. A Google Gemini AI image created with the prompt: "A scene about the death of Orion the hunter by the sting of a giant scorpion of Greek myth. The scene: Orion, with sword in hand, preoccupied with the scorpion's claws, not noticing the scorpion's curved tail and stinger descending on him from above."
Orion’s fatal clash with the giant scorpion. A Google Gemini AI image created with the prompt: “A scene about the death of Orion the hunter by the sting of a giant scorpion of Greek myth. The scene: Orion, with sword in hand, preoccupied with the scorpion’s claws, not noticing the scorpion’s curved tail and stinger descending on him from above.”
Categories: Constellations, Ephemeris Program, Mythology, Observing Tags: ,
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