  The bright star delta Sco has been considered a typical B0-type object for
many years. Spectra of the star published prior to 1990 showed no evidence of
emission, but only of short-term line profile variations attributed to
nonradial pulsations. Speckle interferometric observations show that delta Sco
is a binary system with a highly-eccentric orbit and a period of 10.6 years.
Weak emission in the H-alpha line was detected in its spectrum for the first
time during a periastron passage in 1990. Shortly before the next periastron
passage in the summer of 2000, the binary entered a strong H-alpha emission and
enhanced mass loss phase. We monitored the spectroscopic development of the Be
outburst from July 2000 through March 2001. In this paper we present results
from our spectroscopy, refine elements of the binary orbit, and discuss
possible mechanisms for the mass loss.
