Editing Beta Scorpii (section)

==Components==
Observed through a small telescope, Beta Scorpii appears as a [[binary star]] with a separation between the two components of 13.5&nbsp;[[arcseconds]] and a combined [[apparent magnitude]] of 2.50. This pair, designated β¹ Scorpii and β²&nbsp;Scorpii, form the top branches of a hierarchy of six orbiting components.
<div style="float:left; width:220px; border:solid black 1px; text-align: center; margin: 8px; padding: 4px; font-size: 90%;">
{{chart/start}}
{{chart|border=1| | |  |, |S1| |S1='''Aa''' }}
{{chart|border=0| | |, |( |PA| |PA=Period = 6.82d<br/>a = 1.42 mas }}
{{chart|border=1| | |! |` |S2| |S2='''Ab''' }}
{{chart|border=0| |,|( |PB|  | |PB=Period = 610y<br/>a = 0.30″ }}
{{chart|border=1| |!|` |S3|  | |S3='''B''' }}
{{chart|border=0| |(|PC|  |  | |PC=13.5″&nbsp;separation }}
{{chart|border=1| |!|, |S4|  | |S4='''C''' }}
{{chart|border=0| |`|( |PD|  | |PD=Period = 39y<br/>a = 0.1328″ }}
{{chart|border=1| | |! |, |S5| |S5='''Ea''' }}
{{chart|border=0| | |` |( |PE| |PE=Period = 10.7d }}
{{chart|border=1| | |  |` |S6| |S6='''Eb''' }}
{{chart/end}}
Hierarchy of orbits in the β Scorpii system
</div>
β¹&nbsp;Scorpii, the brighter of the pair, consists of two sub-components, designated β Scorpii A and β Scorpii B, orbiting at an angular separation of 0.3&nbsp;arcseconds with an orbital period of 610 years. β Scorpii A is itself a [[spectroscopic binary]], with the two components designated β Scorpii Aa (also named Acrab<ref name="IAU-LSN"/>) and β Scorpii Ab. They are separated by 1.42&nbsp;[[milliarcsecond]]s and have an orbital period of 6.82 days.<ref name=aj140_3_735/>

β² Scorpii also has two sub-components, designated β Scorpii C and β Scorpii E, orbiting at an angular separation of 0.1328&nbsp;arcseconds with an orbital period of 39 years. β Scorpii E in turn is a spectroscopic binary with components designated β Scorpii Ea and β Scorpii Eb and having an orbital period of 10.7 days.

Component β Scorpii D is the unrelated seventh magnitude star HD 144273, 520" away.<ref name=wds/> Some authors have also referred to component Ab as D.<ref name=vanflandern/>

A companion to component B, β Scorpii G, has been proposed to account for missing mass in the system, but no further evidence of its existence has been found.<ref name=catanzaro/> β Scorpii F refers to a theorised companion to component E.<ref name=vanflandern/>

{{clear left}}