Ophiuchus Constellation: The Ultimate Guide
Ophiuchus (The serpent bearer)
Ophiuchus is one of the largest and most prominent constellations in the southern celestial hemisphere. The constellation's name comes from ancient Greek culture, from the word (ophioûkhos), which means "snake bearer."
In Greek mythology, Ophiuchus is depicted as a man carrying a snake that surrounds him; this snake is represented with the constellation Serpens.
The location of the constellation Ophiuchus is essentially at the equator, so it is possible to visualize it in all the countries of the world, and we can find it in the sky throughout the summer in the northern hemisphere and winter in the southern hemisphere.
The constellation Ophiuchus is the eleventh largest constellation in the night sky. The brightest star in the constellation is Ras Alhague (Rasalhague / α Ophiuchi / α Oph / 55 Ophiuchi) which has an apparent magnitude of +2.08.
The constellation Ophiuchus is home to deep-sky objects such as galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters.
In addition, within the boundaries of the constellation Ophiuchus, an essential meteor shower occurs.
The Mythology And History Of The Ophiuchus Constellation
Ancient Babylon
In ancient Babylon, there was a constellation called "Seated Gods," which seems to have been located in the general area that today corresponds to the constellation Ophiuchus.
According to writer Gavin White, the constellation Ophiuchus may be a remote descendant of this Babylonian constellation, representing Nirah, a snake-god who was sometimes depicted with his human upper half but with snakes instead of legs.
Greek Mythology
In Greek mythology, the character Ophiuchus represents Asclepius, son of the god Apollo and the mortal Coronid. He developed such a kill in medicine that he was said even to raise the dead.
Greatly offended by such claims, Hades asked Zeus to kill him for violating the natural order of things, to which Zeus agreed. However, as a tribute to his worth, he placed it in the sky surrounded by the serpent, a symbol of renewed life.
That is why the constellation Ophiuchus appears surrounded by the constellation Serpens.
Early Modern Period
During the sixteenth century, Ophiuchus went through many modifications in its form because it is the only constellation that divides another in two.
Some cartographers proposed to design the constellation of Serpens surrounding Ophiuchus, but it was finally decided to divide the constellation Serpens into two parts.
In this way, Ophiuchus retained its shape, and the modified constellation was Serpens.
Nowadays
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launched a calendar and zodiac signs in the twentieth century. The constellations that occupied a place in the zodiac also included Ophiuchus.
Because of this, many astrologers proposed adding Ophiuchus to the zodiac's constellations, but because the signs of the zodiac were already associated with the months of the year, very drastic modifications would have been drastic to be made to put Ophiuchus between the constellations of the zodiac.
Because of this, Ophiuchus does not currently belong to the zodiac constellations even though it is located in the region that all other constellations of the zodiac family.
How To Find The Ophiuchus Constellation?
Visibility By Region
Ophiuchus resides in the third quadrant of the Southern Hemisphere (SQ3) at latitudes between 80° N and 80° S, which means that we can see the constellation in the night sky from all countries in the world.
Ophiuchus is visible in America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and Antarctica.
Visibility By Season
Ophiuchus is a constellation close to the celestial equator, visible almost year-round for the southern hemisphere. However, the best month to see it is in July.
Ophiuchus is most visible during the summer in the northern hemisphere and winter in the southern hemisphere.
Finding Ophiuchus Constellation
Ophiuchus is near the celestial equator, so if you are in the northern hemisphere, you will have to direct your gaze to the south, and if you are in the southern hemisphere, you will have to look north.
One way to locate the Ophiuchus constellation is by finding its brightest star Rasalhague, close to the Hercules constellation.
Ophiuchus is one of the most prominent constellations, but it does not have bright stars.
The easiest way to locate the constellation Ophiuchus is by drawing an imaginary straight line from the constellation of Hercules to the constellation Scorpius; in the middle of the two, you will find the constellation Ophiuchus surrounded by the constellation Serpens.
Related Constellations
The constellations limiting Ophiuchus are Hercules, Serpens, Libra, Scorpius, Sagittarius, and Aquila.
In addition, Ophiuchus belongs to the family of constellations of Hercules; these include Aquila, Ara, Centaurus, Corona Australis, Corvus, Crater, Crux, Cygnus, Hercules, Hydra, Lupus, Lyra, Sagitta, Scutum, Sextans, Serpens, Triangulum Australe, and Vulpecula.
Stars in Ophiuchus Constellation
The constellation Ophiuchus officially contains 174 stars, of which 10 make up the central figure of the constellation; these are Rasalhague, Sabik, Han, Yed Prior, Cebalrai, Kappa Ophichi, Posterior Yed, Theta Ophichi, Sinistra, Gamma Ophichi, and Marfic.
Ras Alhague (Rasalhague / α Ophiuchi / α Oph / 55 Ophiuchi)
The brightest star in the constellation is Ophiuchus, with an apparent magnitude of +2.08. It is a white star of spectral type A5, slightly brighter than its temperature of 8500 K.
Sabik (η Ophiuchi / η Oph / 35 Ophiuchi)
With an apparent magnitude of +2.43, Sabik is the second brightest star in the constellation Ophiuchus.
Located 84 light-years away from the Solar System, Sabik is a binary star with two similar components; both white main sequence stars Sabik A and Sabik B.
Zeta Ophiuchi (ζ Ophiuchi / ζ Oph / 13 Ophiuchi)
It is the third brightest star in the constellation Ophiuchus with an apparent magnitude of +2.54. It is a blue star of spectral type O9V located 458 light-years from the solar system.
Other Ophiuchus Stars:
- β Ophiuchi (Cebalrai): Orange giant of type K2III and magnitude 2.77, also located north of the constellation.
- γ Ophiuchi: A white star of magnitude 3.75 in which a circumstellar dust disk has been detected.
- δ Ophiuchi (Yed Prior): Star of magnitude 2.73 and red color, located south of the constellation and near the head of the snake.
- ε Ophiuchi (Yed Posterior): Yellow giant star of magnitude 3.23.
- θ Ophiuchi: Hot star blue subgiant of magnitude 3.25.
- κ Ophiuchi: An orange giant of magnitude 3.20.
- λ Ophiuchi (Marfik): Triple star located at the elbow of Ophiuchus.
- μ Ophiuchi: A mercury-manganese star of magnitude 4.62.
- ρ Ophiuchi: Binary star surrounded by a reflection nebula.
- υ Ophiuchi: Am star and spectroscopic binary of magnitude 4.63.
- φ Ophiuchi: Yellow giant of magnitude 4.29.
- χ Ophiuchi: Be Star of magnitude 4.42.
- ψ Ophiuchi: An orange giant of magnitude 4.49.
- 45 Ophiuchi (d Ophiuchi): Giant or subgiant white-yellow magnitude 4.29.
- 51 Ophiuchi: Herbig Ae/Be star surrounded by a circumstellar disk of gas and dust.
- 58 Ophiuchi: Distant yellow-white star 57 light-years.
- 67 Ophiuchi: A blue supergiant of magnitude 3.97 part of the star cluster Collinder 359.
- 70 Ophiuchi and 36 Ophiuchi: Both are near-Earth star systems.
- SN 1604 (Kepler Supernova): Supernova that took place in the year 1604.
- 72 Ophiuchi: White subgiant of magnitude 3.72.
- U Ophiuchi: A star system whose main component is an eclipsing binary of magnitude 5.72.
- X Ophiuchi: Binary system composed of a variable Mira and an orange giant separated by about 0.5 arcseconds.
- RS Ophiuchi: Nova remnant formed by a red giant and a white dwarf.
- TW Ophiuchi: Carbon star and semi-irregular variable of average magnitude 8.20.
- V2129 Ophiuchi: T Tauri star of magnitude 11.2.
- V2292 Ophiuchi: Yellow dwarf star of magnitude 6.64 distant 55 light-years.
- V2388 Ophiuchi: It is one of the brightest contact binary stars in the sky, with a magnitude of 6.26.
- Barnard's Star is the second-closest star to the solar system at 5.96 light-years, a red dwarf of dim brightness not visible to the naked eye.
- HD 149143: A star with a mass more significant than the Sun. An extrasolar planet called Riosar orbits it.
- Gliese 628 (Wolf 1061): Red dwarf star 13.81 light-years from the solar system.
- Gliese 644 (Wolf 630): The quintuple star system closest to Earth, distant 18.7 light-years.
- Gliese 673, 12 Ophiuchi (V2133 Ophiuchi) and Gliese 688: All three are orange dwarfs.
- Gliese 653 and Gliese 654: It is a binary system 34.7 light-years from the solar system.
- GJ 1214: Red dwarf with an extrasolar planet.
- G 21-15: System formed by three white dwarfs, one of the few known characteristics.
- SN 1604 (Kepler Supernova): Supernova that took place in the year 1604.
Deep Sky Objects
Ophiuchus is also known as home to several deep-sky objects. Deep-sky objects often mean star clusters, nebulae (interstellar cloud bodies), or galaxies.
In the case of Ophiuchus, it is rich in galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters, being one of the constellations with the most incredible diversity of deep-sky bodies.
Globular cluster M9 (Messier 9 / M9 / NGC 6333)
It is the most notable object of the constellation Ophiuchus; it is a cumulus of stars located 25 thousand light-years from Earth, with an apparent magnitude of +8.42.
Photographically it is yellowish due to a large number of red giant stars (yellowish or golden) it contains.
Other Notable Deep-sky Objects In Ophiuchus:
- Globular clusters M10 and M12: North of the constellation, red and orange giant stars are yellowish.
- M19: It is a flattened globular cluster just 5200 light-years from the galaxy's center.
- M62: It is a cluster on the border with Scorpio characterized by its irregular shape. It has 89 recognized variables, many of the RR Lyrae variables. 30
- M107: Globular cumulus near the galactic plane at a distance of about 20,000 light-years.
- Nebula M2-9 (also known as the Twin Jet Nebula and Butterfly Wings Nebula): A bipolar planetary nebula at the center is a binary star.
- LDN 1773: Dark Nebula, also known as pipe nebula.
- NGC 6240 is a luminous galaxy in the infrared, a remnant of the merger of two smaller galaxies.
- NGC 6369: Planetary nebula, also known as the Little Spirit Nebula or the Little Ghost Nebula.
Meteor Showers
According to the record of star showers of the Adam Mickiewicz University (Poland) in the region comprising the constellation of Ophiuchus, at least 13 meteor showers occur. Still, the most notable and essential of all is the May Ophiuchids Complex.
This occurs from May 19 to July 2, and the peak of maximum observation occurs every June 20.
Interesting Facts
- NASA has a special calendar where Ophiuchus is added as one more constellation of the zodiac family; in this calendar, all the zodiac constellations were modifications in their dates.
- During the twentieth century, there was much debate as to whether Ophiuchus should be added to the constellations of the zodiac family or not. Still, finally, it was decided not to add it since the constellations of the zodiac are no longer as relevant in people's lives as in the past, and beyond the horoscope, they are not used for anything. Therefore it was not necessary to add it.
Conclusions
- Ophiuchus is a constellation located near the celestial equator; its name comes from the ancient Greek culture, the word (ophioûkhos), which means "snake bearer."
- Ophiuchus is one of the largest and most prominent constellations in the sky and is visible in every country globally, but the best month to observe it is in July.
- The easiest way to locate the constellation Ophiuchus is by drawing an imaginary straight line from the constellation of Hercules to the constellation Scorpius; in the middle of the two, you will find the constellation Ophiuchus.
- The brightest star in the constellation is Ras Alhague (Rasalhague / α Ophiuchi / α Oph / 55 Ophiuchi) which has an apparent magnitude of +2.08.
- The constellation Ophiuchus's most notable deep sky body is the globular cumulus M9 (Messier 9 / M9 / NGC 6333).
- The strongest meteor shower in Ophiuchus is the "May Ophiuchids Complex."
Sources Of Information:
- https://earthsky.org/tonight/ophiuchus-highest-on-august-evenings-2/
- https://www.constellation-guide.com/constellation-list/ophiuchus-constellation/
- http://www.seasky.org/constellations/constellation-ophiuchus.html
- https://www.universeguide.com/constellation/ophiuchus#meteorshowers
- https://in-the-sky.org/data/constellation.php?id=60