Editing Delta Scorpii (section)

==Observation==
[[File:DeltaScoLightCurve.png|thumb|left|A [[Photometric_system#Photometric_letters|visual band]] [[light curve]] for Delta Scorpii. The main plot (adapted from Suffak ''et al.''<ref name="Suffak"/>) shows the long-term variability, and the inset plot (adapted from Miroshnichenko ''et al.''<ref name="AnAv377"/>) shows the brightening which occurred in 2000.]]
Delta Scorpii is 2.0 degrees south of the [[ecliptic]].  It is a binary star with two components of magnitudes 2.4 and 4.6 separated by {{val|0.2|ul="}}.<ref name=wds/>  In 1981 it was [[occultation|occulted]] by [[Rings of Saturn|Saturn's rings]] as seen by [[Voyager 2]], with starlight unexpectedly blocked even by the apparently empty gaps, indicating that "there is very little empty space anywhere in the main ring system."<ref name=DBoA/>

===Variability===
Delta Scorpii A is a [[Gamma Cassiopeiae variable]] star. This type of star shows irregular slow brightness variations of a few hundredths of a magnitude due to material surrounding the star.

In June 2000 Delta Scorpii was observed by Sebastian Otero to be 0.1 magnitudes brighter than normal; its brightness has varied since then and has reached at least as high as magnitude 1.6, altering the familiar appearance of Scorpius. Spectra taken after the outburst began have shown that the star is throwing off luminous gases from its equatorial region. The companion passed close by in 2011, again resulting in the star peaking at 1.65 between 5 and 15 July 2011.<ref name=miro/><ref name=sigismondo/>
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