Ophiuchus Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
| Ophiuchus | |
| Abbreviation | Oph |
| Genitive | Ophiuchi |
| Meaning in English | the Serpent Bearer |
| Right ascension | 17 h |
| Declination | 0° |
| Visible to latitude | Between 80° and −80° |
| Best visible | July |
| Area - Total | Ranked 11th 948 sq. deg. |
| Number of stars with apparent magnitude < 3 | 5 |
| Brightest star - Apparent magnitude | Ras Alhague (α Oph) 2.1 |
| Meteor showers |
Ophiuchids
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| Bordering constellations | Hercules |
Ophiuchus is depicted as a man supporting a snake, Serpens; the interposition of his body divides the snake into two parts, Serpens Caput and Serpens Cauda, which are nonetheless counted as one constellation.
| Table of contents |
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2 Notable deep-sky objects 3 Mythology 4 History 5 Astrology |
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, a star too faint to interest amateur skywatchers, is part of a strange class called recurrent novas, whose brightness increases at irregular intervals by hundreds of times in a period of just a few days.
Barnard's Star, the fifth-nearest star to the Solar System, lies in Ophiuchus.
If we were to observe Earth's Sun from Tau Ceti, it would appear as a 2.54 magnitude star in Ophiuchus.
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 NGC 6240 is also in Ophiuchus.
The figure is supposed to represent the legendary physician Asclepius, who learned the secrets of life and death from serpents. In order to avoid the human race becoming immortal under Asclepius's care, Zeus killed him with a bolt of lightning, but placed him in the heavens to honour his good works.
It is not, however, easy to find the figure of a man in these stars without some diligence.
The most important historical event in Ophiuchus was the Supernova 1604, also named Kepler's Supernova, whose explosion was first observerd 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 supernovae were observed until 1987 (see Supernova 1987a.)
Although it is found on the plane of the ecliptic (though it wasn't added to cross over the ecliptic until 1930), Ophiuchus, unlike the other twelve constellations of the zodiac, did not give its name to one of the twelve equal-sized regions of sky through which astrologers reckon the planets, Sun, and Moon to travel. It is therefore not one of the twelve signs of the zodiac in modern astrology.
This is an Article on Ophiuchus. Page Contains Information, Facts Details or Explanation Guide About Ophiuchus Notable features
Notable deep-sky objects
Mythology
History
'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 Serpentarius, a Latin form of its name.
Astrology