How to
recognize Ophiuchus
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| His presence on
our zodiac is really rather obvious, don't you think? No wonder astronomy buffs think astrology is bunk! |
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How to
recognize Ophiuchus
|
|
| His presence on
our zodiac is really rather obvious, don't you think? No wonder astronomy buffs think astrology is bunk! |
|
| "SERPENT HOLDER (OPHIUCHUS): Vast group, somewhat complex [technically, it's two constellations: one the man and the other the SERPENT (SERPENS) in two parts: HEAD (CAPUT) and TAIL (CAUDA)] resembling a voodoo doctor holding the pieces of a snake torn in two. To trace this figure, start with bright star at top of triangular head, left of Hercules' forward foot. The two pairs of stars in the doctor's shoulders are easily recognized. Next, trace the huge rectangular body, then the right arm with SERPENT'S front part. The snake's head is a pretty little group, south of the Crown. The left arm with the Serpent's tail comes next, and then last the rather dim feet. If you succeed in seeing the whole after a few trials, you have accomplished something. | An odd thing about the Serpent Holder is that it reaches into
the zodiac, yet is not by tradition counted among the zodiacal figures, possibly because
there would then be 13 constellations instead of 12." THE STARS, H.A.Rey, Houghton
Mifflin Company, Boston (1952) Enlarged World-Wide Edition (1980). For more technical information on the constellations and our solar system, STARTISTICS highly recommends ATLAS OF THE NIGHT SKY, Crescent Books (1984) General Editor Storm Dunlop, Star Maps by Wil Tirion, a complete series of Northern and Southern Hemisphere Epoch 2000.0 Star Maps with detailed analysis of the 88 constellations, and other interesting astronomical phenomena. |
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| The History of
Constellation Ophiuchus
SERPENTARIUS, or OPHIUCHUS, in astronomy, a constellation of the northern hemisphere, anciently named Aesculapius, and mentioned by Eudoxus (4th century B.C.) and Aratus (3rd century n.c.). According to the Greek fables it variously represents: Carnabon (or Charnabon), king of the Getae, killing one of the dragons of Triptolemus, or Heracles killing the serpent at the river Sangarius (or Sagaris), or the physician Asclepius (Aesculapius) ,‘to denote his skill in curing snake bites. Ptolemy catalogued 29 stars, Tycho Brahe 15, and Hevelius 40. “New” stars were observed in 1604 and 1848. |
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