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Oph
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Ophiuchi
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the Snake -holder / the Healer
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17
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0
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948
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11th
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5
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α Oph (Ras Alhague)
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21
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"http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/encyclopedia/entry/Theta_Ophiuchids" class="copylinks">Theta Ophiuchids
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"http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/encyclopedia/entry/Aquila_(constellation)" class="copylinks">Aquila
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80
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80
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July
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is one of the 88
Constellation s, and was also one of the 48 listed by
Ptolemy . Of the 13
Zodiacal constellations (constellations that contain the Sun during the course of the year), Ophiuchus is the only one which is not counted as an
Astrological Sign — see below for more information.
Ophiuchus is depicted as a man supporting a
Serpens ; the interposition of his body divides the snake into two parts, Serpens Caput and Serpens Cauda, which are nonetheless counted as one constellation.
The brightest stars in Ophiuchus include α Ophiuchi, called Rasalhague, at the figure's head; and λ Ophiuchi, a triple star, at his elbow.
RS Ophiuchi is part of a strange class called recurrent
Nova e, whose brightness increases at irregular intervals by hundreds of times in a period of just a few days.
Barnard's Star , one of the
Nearest Stars to the Solar System (further only than the three-star
Alpha Centauri system), lies in Ophiuchus. (It is located to the left of β and straight up from ν in the chart.)
Ophiuchus contains several star clusters, such as
IC 4665 ,
NGC 6633 ,
M9 ,
M10 ,
M12 ,
M14 ,
M19 ,
M62 , and
M107 , as well as the nebula
IC 4603-4604 . The unusual double galaxy known as the ''
Starfish Galaxy '' (NGC 6240) is also in Ophiuchus.
There are several mythological possibilities for whom the figure represents.
The most recent interpretation is that the figure represents the legendary physician
Asclepius , who learned the secrets of life and death from one serpent bringing another some herbs which healed it (Asclepius had previously tried to kill it). In order to avoid the human race becoming immortal under Asclepius' care,
Zeus eventually killed him with a bolt of lightning, but placed him in the heavens to honour his good works. The involvement in the myth of
Chiron may be connected to the nearby presence of the constellation
Sagittarius , which was in later times occasionally considered to represent Chiron (who was more usually identified as the constellation
Centaurus ).
Another possibility is that the figure represents the demise during the
Trojan War of the
Trojan priest
Laocoön , who was strangled by a snake or a sea serpent after warning the Trojans against accepting the
Trojan Horse . A suggestive
Statue in the
Vatican Museums depicts the tragedy.
A third possibility is
Apollo wrestling with the
Python to take control of the
Oracle at
Delphi .
's drawing depicting the location of the ''stella nova'' in the foot of Ophiuchus.]]
This constellation, known from antiquity, is one of the 48 constellations described by
Ptolemy . It has also been known as '', a Latin form of its name.
The most important historical event in Ophiuchus was the
Supernova Of 1604 , also named Kepler's Supernova, whose explosion was first observed on
October 9 ,
1604 , near θ Ophiuchi.
Johannes Kepler saw it first on
October 16 , but studied it so extensively that the supernova was subsequently named after him. He published his findings in a book entitled ''De stella nova in pede Serpentarii'' (On the New Star in Ophiuchus's Foot).
Galileo used its brief appearance to counter the
Aristotelian dogma that the heavens are changeless.
It occurred only 32 years after another supernova in
Cassiopeia that had been observed by
Tycho Brahe ; the last supernova before then had occurred in
1054 (see
Crab Nebula ), and after Kepler's no further naked-eye supernovae were observed until
1987 (see
Supernova 1987a .)
In the
2nd Century , Ptolemy listed 29 stars in Ophiuchus. He recognised that most of those stars were north of the
Ecliptic (the path of the Sun through the sky) — however, 4 of them (today known as 36 Oph, 42 θ Oph, 44 Oph and 51 Oph) he recognised as being south of the ecliptic. Therefore, the Sun passed through the constellation of Ophiuchus as it was recognised by Ptolemy. Many astrologers (incorrectly) state that the phenomenon of the Sun passing through Ophiuchus dates from a decision by the
International Astronomical Union to adopt constellation boundaries in
1930 — in fact, the phenomenon predates that decision by over 1,700 years.
The reason why Ophiuchus is not a part of the western astrological
Zodiac is because that zodiac is defined on the basis of the sun spending an equal amount of time in twelve
Astrological Sign s starting at the
Vernal Equinox in the northern hemisphere — this is called the
Tropical Zodiac . There is also a
Sidereal Zodiac , which is based on the actual location of the stars in the sky, and which is used by Hindu and some Western astrologers. At present, the sun is in Ophiuchus from
November 30 to
December 19 .
:Stars with proper names:
- ( 2/ε Oph ) 3.23 Jed Posterior''
- : < يد ''yad'' + ''posterior'' The later (east) hand
- ( 13/ζ Oph ) 2.54 '' or '''''Han'''''
- : < 漢 (Mandarin ''Hàn'') The Han dynasty
- ( 35/η Oph ) 2.43
- : < سابق ''sābiq'' preceding
- 9.57 – 2nd closest star system
:Stars with Bayer designations:
::
62/γ Oph 3.75;
42/θ Oph 3.27;
25/ι Oph 4.39;
27/κ Oph 3.19;
57/μ Oph 4.58;
40/ξ Oph 4.39;
39/ο Oph – double 5.14, 6.59;
5/ρ Oph – double 4.57, 5.92;
49/σ Oph 4.34;
69/τ Oph – double 5.24, 5.94;
3/υ Oph 4.62;
7/χ Oph 4.22;
8/φ Oph 4.29;
4/ψ Oph 4.48;
9/ω Oph 4.45;
44/b Oph 4.16;
51/c Oph 4.78;
45/d Oph 4.28;
E Oph 5.03;
53/f Oph 5.80;
70/p Oph 4.03 – double; nearby;
36/A Oph – triple 4.33, 5.07; nearby
:Stars with Flamsteed designations:
::
12 Oph 5.77;
14 Oph 5.74;
16 Oph 6.02;
18 Oph 7.1;
19 Oph 6.07;
20 Oph 4.64;
21 Oph 5.51;
23 Oph 5.23;
24 Oph 5.57;
26 Oph 5.74;
29 Oph 6.28;
30 Oph 4.82;
32 Oph 4.97;
37 Oph 5.32;
41 Oph 4.72;
43 Oph 5.30;
47 Oph 4.53;
52 Oph 6.47;
58 Oph 4.86;
61 Oph 6.16;
63 Oph 6.18;
66 Oph 4.79;
67 Oph 3.93;
68 Oph 4.42;
71 Oph 4.64;
72 Oph 3.71;
73 Oph 5.71;
74 Oph 4.85
:Other notable stars:
