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Ophiuchus
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<h2 id="location">Location</h2> <p>Ophiuchus lies between <a href="/facts/Aquila_(constellation)/p90KeceQ">Aquila</a>, <a href="/facts/Serpens/4XteSy68">Serpens</a>, <a href="/facts/Scorpius/ddxFGlK0">Scorpius</a>, <a href="/facts/Sagittarius_(constellation)/ljtU4DQ2">Sagittarius</a>, and <a href="/facts/Hercules_(constellation)/o1UvvU2T">Hercules</a>, northwest of the center of the <a href="/facts/Milky_Way/ulF6lccN">Milky Way</a>. The southern part lies between <a href="/facts/Scorpius/ddxFGlK0">Scorpius</a> to the west and <a href="/facts/Sagittarius_(constellation)/ljtU4DQ2">Sagittarius</a> to the east.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a> In the <a href="/facts/Northern_hemisphere/EFwyqL25">northern hemisphere</a>, it is best visible in summer.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a> It is opposite of <a href="/facts/Orion_(constellation)/bPeA8QYg">Orion</a>. Ophiuchus is depicted as a man grasping a <a href="/facts/Serpens/4XteSy68">serpent</a>; the interposition of his body divides the snake constellation Serpens into two parts, <a href="/facts/Serpens_Caput/4XteSy68">Serpens Caput</a> and <a href="/facts/Serpens_Cauda/4XteSy68">Serpens Cauda</a>. Ophiuchus straddles the equator with the majority of its <a href="/facts/Solid_angle/se8IXufg">area</a> lying in the southern hemisphere. <a href="/facts/Rasalhague/5Ytkpfmf">Rasalhague</a>, its brightest star, lies near the northern edge of Ophiuchus at about +12° 30′ declination.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> The constellation extends southward to −30° declination. Segments of the ecliptic within Ophiuchus are south of −20° declination (see chart at right). </p><p>In contrast to Orion, from November to January (summer in the Southern Hemisphere, winter in the Northern Hemisphere), Ophiuchus is in the daytime sky and thus not visible at most latitudes. However, for much of the polar region north of the <a href="/facts/Arctic_Circle/AlayDpsw">Arctic Circle</a> in the Northern Hemisphere's winter months, the Sun is below the horizon even at midday. Stars (and thus parts of Ophiuchus, especially Rasalhague) are then visible at twilight for a few hours around local noon, low in the south. In the Northern Hemisphere's spring and summer months, when Ophiuchus is normally visible in the night sky, the constellation is actually not visible, because the <a href="/facts/Midnight_sun/0Fch85g8">midnight sun</a> obscures the stars at those times and places in the Arctic. In countries close to the equator, Ophiuchus appears overhead in June around midnight and in the October evening sky. </p> <h2 id="features">Features</h2> <h3>Stars</h3> <p class="note">See also: <a href="/facts/List_of_stars_in_Ophiuchus/GkeWgaYM">List of stars in Ophiuchus</a></p> <p>The brightest stars in Ophiuchus include <a href="/facts/Alpha_Ophiuchi/5Ytkpfmf">α Ophiuchi</a>, called Rasalhague ("head of the serpent charmer"), at magnitude 2.07, and <a href="/facts/Eta_Ophiuchi/mwpTDzjH">η Ophiuchi</a>, known as Sabik ("the preceding one"), at magnitude 2.43.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> Alpha Ophiuchi is composed of an A-type (bluish-white) giant star<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a> and a <a href="/facts/K-type_main_sequence_star/loWHS8PD">K-type main sequence star</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a> The primary is a rapid rotator<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a> with an inclined axis of rotation.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a> Eta Ophiuchi is a binary system.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a> Other bright stars in the constellation include <a href="/facts/Beta_Ophiuchi/tjB1RqBt">β Ophiuchi</a>, Cebalrai ("dog of the shepherd")<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12"><sup>12</sup></a> and <a href="/facts/Lambda_Ophiuchi/Aoxgn9l8">λ Ophiuchi</a>, or Marfik ("the elbow").<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13"><sup>13</sup></a> Beta Ophiuchi is an evolved <a href="/facts/Red_giant/lla6Bsvy">red giant</a> star that is slightly more massive than the Sun.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14"><sup>14</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:15" href="#fn:15"><sup>15</sup></a> Lambda Ophiuchi is a binary star system with the primary being more massive and luminous than the Sun.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:16" href="#fn:16"><sup>16</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:17" href="#fn:17"><sup>17</sup></a> </p><p><a href="/facts/RS_Ophiuchi/6DXle64S">RS Ophiuchi</a> is part of a class called recurrent <a href="/facts/Nova/H1GcmKXT">novae</a>, whose brightness increase at irregular intervals by hundreds of times in a period of just a few days. It is thought to be at the brink of becoming a type-1a <a href="/facts/Supernova/Pfo2J23l">supernova</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:18" href="#fn:18"><sup>18</sup></a> It erupts around every 15 years and usually has a magnitude of around 5.0 during eruptions, most recently in 2021.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:19" href="#fn:19"><sup>19</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:20" href="#fn:20"><sup>20</sup></a> </p><p><a href="/facts/Barnard%2527s_Star/9xrjwFXY">Barnard's Star</a>, one of the <a href="/facts/List_of_nearest_stars/LLu2LmXq">nearest stars</a> to the <a href="/facts/Solar_System/QIcLSazQ">Solar System</a> (the only stars closer are the <a href="/facts/Alpha_Centauri/6BlySfIj">Alpha Centauri</a> <a href="/facts/Binary_star/TYlDe1bD">binary star</a> system and <a href="/facts/Proxima_Centauri/6vSeytbA">Proxima Centauri</a>), lies in Ophiuchus. It is located to the left of β and just north of the V-shaped group of stars in an area that was once occupied by the now-obsolete constellation of <a href="/facts/Taurus_Poniatovii/x5lNtmaw">Taurus Poniatovii</a> (Poniatowski's Bull). It is thought that an exoplanet orbits around the star,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:21" href="#fn:21"><sup>21</sup></a> but later studies have refuted this claim.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:22" href="#fn:22"><sup>22</sup></a> In 1998, an intense flare was observed.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:23" href="#fn:23"><sup>23</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:24" href="#fn:24"><sup>24</sup></a> The star has also been a target of plans for interstellar travel such as <a href="/facts/Project_Daedalus/cWTC01HS">Project Daedalus</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:25" href="#fn:25"><sup>25</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:26" href="#fn:26"><sup>26</sup></a> In 2005, astronomers using data from the <a href="/facts/Green_Bank_Telescope/ycEvR9Em">Green Bank Telescope</a> discovered a <a href="/facts/Superbubble/9TzmFEYd">superbubble</a> so large that it extends beyond the plane of the galaxy.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:27" href="#fn:27"><sup>27</sup></a> It is called the <a href="/facts/Ophiuchus_Superbubble/EhIGU2DT">Ophiuchus Superbubble</a>. </p><p>In April 2007, <a href="/facts/Astronomer/ronF8j4a">astronomers</a> announced that the <a href="/facts/Sweden/u3qC7lyj">Swedish</a>-built <a href="/facts/Odin_(satellite)/FzjhN7Q0">Odin satellite</a> had made the first detection of clouds of <a href="/facts/Molecule/N9ljSfFq">molecular</a> <a href="/facts/Oxygen/acyn6o8r">oxygen</a> in space, following observations in the constellation Ophiuchus.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:28" href="#fn:28"><sup>28</sup></a> The <a href="/facts/SN_1604/MT9kRF4s">supernova of 1604</a> was first observed on 9 October 1604, near θ Ophiuchi. <a href="/facts/Johannes_Kepler/wk6GTN3C">Johannes Kepler</a> saw it first on 16 October and studied it so extensively that the <a href="/facts/Supernova/Pfo2J23l">supernova</a> was subsequently called <i>Kepler's Supernova</i>. He published his findings in a book titled <i>De stella nova in pede Serpentarii</i> (<i>On the New Star in Ophiuchus's Foot</i>). <a href="/facts/Galileo_Galilei/98VT2z3v">Galileo</a> used its brief appearance to counter the <a href="/facts/Aristotle/U2bDlBFW">Aristotelian</a> <a href="/facts/Dogma/vl3H3Y6C">dogma</a> that the heavens are changeless. It was a Type Ia supernova<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:29" href="#fn:29"><sup>29</sup></a> and the most recent Milky Way supernova visible to the unaided eye.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:30" href="#fn:30"><sup>30</sup></a> In 2009 it was announced that <a href="/facts/GJ_1214/WcksynWX">GJ 1214</a>, a star in Ophiuchus, undergoes repeated, cyclical dimming with a period of about 1.5 days consistent with the transit of a small orbiting planet.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:31" href="#fn:31"><sup>31</sup></a> The planet's low density (about 40% that of Earth) suggests that the planet might have a substantial component of low-density gas—possibly <a href="/facts/Hydrogen/BoYHjl0J">hydrogen</a> or <a href="/facts/Steam/RDGCdmzT">steam</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:32" href="#fn:32"><sup>32</sup></a> The proximity of this star to Earth (42 light years) makes it a feasible target for further observations. The host star emits X-rays which could have removed mass from the exoplanet.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:33" href="#fn:33"><sup>33</sup></a> In April 2010, the naked-eye star <a href="/facts/Zeta_Ophiuchi/hlxHSI8e">ζ Ophiuchi</a> was occulted by the asteroid <a href="/facts/824_Anastasia/r3BWmuDH">824 Anastasia</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:34" href="#fn:34"><sup>34</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:35" href="#fn:35"><sup>35</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:36" href="#fn:36"><sup>36</sup></a> </p> <h3>Deep-sky objects</h3> <p>Ophiuchus contains several <a href="/facts/Star_cluster/Crs7Y6me">star clusters</a>, such as <a href="/facts/Open_Cluster_IC_4665/RSm3poKR">IC 4665</a>, <a href="/facts/NGC_6633/UDfU3xl5">NGC 6633</a>, <a href="/facts/Globular_Cluster_M9/383NvWUS">M9</a>, <a href="/facts/Globular_Cluster_M10/mb7ef5Te">M10</a>, <a href="/facts/Globular_Cluster_M12/hf333tAw">M12</a>, <a href="/facts/Globular_Cluster_M14/446yldCA">M14</a>, <a href="/facts/Globular_Cluster_M19/KfNXgCgs">M19</a>, <a href="/facts/Globular_Cluster_M62/7VWM14Xa">M62</a>, and <a href="/facts/Globular_Cluster_M107/sMToDctE">M107</a>, as well as the <a href="/facts/Nebula/hG6coklY">nebula</a> IC 4603-4604. </p><p><a href="/facts/Messier_9/383NvWUS">M9</a> is a globular cluster which may have an extra-galactic origin.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:37" href="#fn:37"><sup>37</sup></a> <a href="/facts/Messier_10/mb7ef5Te">M10</a> is a fairly close <a href="/facts/Globular_cluster/FL0EERJU">globular cluster</a>, only 20,000 light-years from Earth. It has a magnitude of 6.6 and is a Shapley class VII cluster. This means that it has "intermediate" concentration; it is only somewhat concentrated towards its center.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:38" href="#fn:38"><sup>38</sup></a> M12 is a globular cluster which is around 5 kiloparsecs from the Solar System.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:39" href="#fn:39"><sup>39</sup></a> <a href="/facts/Messier_14/446yldCA">M14</a> is another globular cluster which is somewhat farther away.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:40" href="#fn:40"><sup>40</sup></a> Globular cluster M19 is <a href="/facts/Spheroid/GJyyLxQ7">oblate-shaped</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:41" href="#fn:41"><sup>41</sup></a> with multiple different types of variable stars.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:42" href="#fn:42"><sup>42</sup></a> M62 is a globular cluster rich in <a href="/facts/Variable_star/Ac8mp2gy">variable stars</a> such as <a href="/facts/RR_Lyrae_variables/vjoHuKUe">RR Lyrae variables</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:43" href="#fn:43"><sup>43</sup></a> and has two generations of stars with different element abundances.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:44" href="#fn:44"><sup>44</sup></a> M107 is also rich in variable stars.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:45" href="#fn:45"><sup>45</sup></a> </p><p>The unusual <a href="/facts/Galaxy/zCyUvEf7">galaxy</a> merger remnant and <a href="/facts/Starburst_galaxy/EV0wM4Rs">starburst galaxy</a> <a href="/facts/NGC_6240/pQUmy8dl">NGC 6240</a> is also in Ophiuchus. At a distance of 400 million light-years, this "butterfly-shaped" galaxy has two <a href="/facts/Supermassive_black_hole/BcuTx8Q5">supermassive black holes</a> 3,000 light-years apart. Confirmation of the fact that both <a href="/facts/Active_galactic_nucleus/qT1owvXz">nuclei</a> contain black holes was obtained by <a href="/facts/Electromagnetic_spectrum/24LARvFY">spectra</a> from the <a href="/facts/Chandra_X-ray_Observatory/zU89xG3a">Chandra X-ray Observatory</a>. Astronomers estimate that the black holes will <a href="/facts/Binary_black_hole/2BVQCy52">merge</a> in another billion years. NGC 6240 also has an unusually high rate of <a href="/facts/Star_formation/SMyfVDY6">star formation</a>, classifying it as a <a href="/facts/Starburst_galaxy/EV0wM4Rs">starburst galaxy</a>. This is likely due to the heat generated by the orbiting black holes and the aftermath of the <a href="/facts/Galactic_merger/WRKsV7t2">collision</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:46" href="#fn:46"><sup>46</sup></a> Both have <a href="/facts/Active_galactic_nuclei/qT1owvXz">active galactic nuclei</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:47" href="#fn:47"><sup>47</sup></a> </p><p>In 2006, a new nearby <a href="/facts/Star_cluster/Crs7Y6me">star cluster</a> was discovered associated with the 4th magnitude star <a href="/facts/Mu_Ophiuchi/9BooDeYJ">Mu Ophiuchi</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:48" href="#fn:48"><sup>48</sup></a> The Mamajek 2 cluster appears to be a poor cluster remnant analogous to the <a href="/facts/Ursa_Major_Moving_Group/L5LEL6dm">Ursa Major Moving Group</a>, but 7 times more distant (approximately 170 parsecs away). Mamajek 2 appears to have formed in the same star-forming complex as the <a href="/facts/NGC_2516/zMTohSNb">NGC 2516</a> cluster roughly 135 million years ago.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:49" href="#fn:49"><sup>49</sup></a> </p><p><a href="/facts/Barnard_68/h2PBNYFK">Barnard 68</a> is a large <a href="/facts/Dark_nebula/6hsTRekq">dark nebula</a>, located 410 light-years from Earth. Despite its diameter of 0.4 light-years, Barnard 68 only has twice the mass of the Sun, making it both very diffuse and very cold, with a temperature of about 16 <a href="/facts/Kelvin/E3trzC4C">kelvins</a>. Though it is currently stable, Barnard 68 will eventually collapse, inciting the process of <a href="/facts/Star_formation/SMyfVDY6">star formation</a>. One unusual feature of Barnard 68 is its vibrations, which have a period of 250,000 years. Astronomers speculate that this phenomenon is caused by the <a href="/facts/Shock_wave/CqrG1Xm5">shock wave</a> from a <a href="/facts/Supernova/Pfo2J23l">supernova</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:50" href="#fn:50"><sup>50</sup></a> Barnard 68 has blocked thousands of stars visible at other wavelengths<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:51" href="#fn:51"><sup>51</sup></a> and the distribution of dust in Barnard 68 has been mapped.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:52" href="#fn:52"><sup>52</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:53" href="#fn:53"><sup>53</sup></a> </p><p>The space probe <a href="/facts/Voyager_1/39jCxR9I">Voyager 1</a>, the furthest man-made object from earth, is traveling in the direction of Ophiuchus. It is located between <a href="/facts/%25CE%2591_Herculis/an82XbNF">α Herculis</a>, <a href="/facts/%25CE%2591_Ophiuchi/5Ytkpfmf">α Ophiuchi</a> and <a href="/facts/%25CE%259A_Ophiuchi/4smTjR6C">κ Ophiuchi</a> at right ascension 17h 13m and declination +12° 25’ (July 2020).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:54" href="#fn:54"><sup>54</sup></a> </p><p>In November 2022, the USA's <a href="/facts/National_Science_Foundation/FlDT8TbW">NSF</a> NOIRLab (<a href="/facts/National_Optical-Infrared_Astronomy_Research_Laboratory/grDboHfw">National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory</a>) announced the unambiguous identification of the nearest <a href="/facts/Stellar_black_hole/8cz1uzAe">stellar black hole</a> orbited by a <a href="/facts/G-type_main-sequence_star/8zjE512K">G-type main-sequence star</a>, the system identified as <a href="/facts/Gaia_BH1/kaMz7Mcs">Gaia BH1</a> at around 1,560 <a href="/facts/Light_year/IGc5NdQb">light years</a> from the Sun.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:55" href="#fn:55"><sup>55</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="history-and-mythology">History and mythology</h2> <p>There is no evidence of the constellation preceding the <a href="/facts/Classical_Greece/WoUfexFx">classical era</a>, and in <a href="/facts/Babylonian_astronomy/qv816vfo">Babylonian astronomy</a>, a "Sitting Gods" constellation seems to have been located in the general area of Ophiuchus. However, Gavin White proposes that Ophiuchus may in fact be remotely descended from this Babylonian constellation, representing <a href="/facts/Nirah/Y7bKzJ48">Nirah</a>, a serpent-god who was sometimes depicted with his upper half human but with serpents for legs.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:56" href="#fn:56"><sup>56</sup></a> </p><p> The earliest mention of the constellation is in <a href="/facts/Aratus/djcGmDYz">Aratus</a>, informed by the lost catalogue of <a href="/facts/Eudoxus_of_Cnidus/FgPAy5L9">Eudoxus of Cnidus</a> (4th century BC):<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:57" href="#fn:57"><sup>57</sup></a> </p><blockquote><p>To the <a href="/facts/Hercules_(constellation)/o1UvvU2T">Phantom</a>'s back the <a href="/facts/Corona_Borealis/oRGTluCe">Crown</a> is near, but by his head mark near at hand the head of Ophiuchus, and then from it you can trace the starlit Ophiuchus himself: so brightly set beneath his head appear his gleaming shoulders. They would be clear to mark even at the midmonth moon, but his hands are not at all so bright; for faint runs the gleam of stars along on this side and on that. Yet they too can be seen, for they are not feeble. Both firmly clutch the <a href="/facts/Serpens/4XteSy68">Serpent</a>, which encircles the waist of Ophiuchus, but he, steadfast with both his feet well set, tramples a huge monster, even the <a href="/facts/Scorpio_(astrology)/fzy3MW2C">Scorpion</a>, standing upright on his eye and breast. Now the Serpent is wreathed about his two hands – a little above his right hand, but in many folds high above his left.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:58" href="#fn:58"><sup>58</sup></a></p></blockquote> <p>To the <a href="/facts/Ancient_Greece/PTVBrWXq">ancient Greeks</a>, the constellation represented the god <a href="/facts/Apollo/eBJV1wsJ">Apollo</a> struggling with a huge snake that guarded the <a href="/facts/Oracle_of_Delphi/z6zTpCh2">Oracle of Delphi</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:59" href="#fn:59"><sup>59</sup></a> </p><p>Later myths identified Ophiuchus with <a href="/facts/Laoco%25C3%25B6n/F01zVXww">Laocoön</a>, the <a href="/facts/Troy/RYze9Kpu">Trojan</a> priest of <a href="/facts/Poseidon/kTYc88aD">Poseidon</a>, who warned his fellow Trojans about the <a href="/facts/Trojan_Horse/U65F4IYy">Trojan Horse</a> and was later slain by a pair of sea serpents sent by the gods to punish him.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:60" href="#fn:60"><sup>60</sup></a> According to <a href="/facts/Roman_era/cGqIuxPd">Roman era</a> mythography,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:61" href="#fn:61"><sup>61</sup></a> the figure represents the healer <a href="/facts/Asclepius/XPbV723H">Asclepius</a>, who learned the secrets of keeping death at bay after observing one serpent bringing another healing herbs. To prevent the entire human race from becoming <a href="/facts/Immortality/nDAb6CKo">immortal</a> under Asclepius' care, <a href="/facts/Jupiter_(mythology)/JPetM2m9">Jupiter</a> killed him with a bolt of <a href="/facts/Lightning/dLTuxz8n">lightning</a>, but later placed his image in the heavens to honor his good works. In medieval <a href="/facts/Islamic_astronomy/hw8HxDHz">Islamic astronomy</a> (<a href="/facts/Azophi/qzc2hHfl">Azophi</a>'s <i><a href="/facts/Book_of_Fixed_Stars/8aMMc7EN">Uranometry</a></i>, 10th century), the constellation was known as <i>Al-Ḥawwa'</i>, "the snake-charmer".<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:62" href="#fn:62"><sup>62</sup></a> </p><p><a href="/facts/Aratus/djcGmDYz">Aratus</a> describes Ophiuchus as trampling on <a href="/facts/Scorpius/ddxFGlK0">Scorpius</a> with his feet. This is depicted in Renaissance to Early Modern <a href="/facts/Star_chart/nKY9u81I">star charts</a>, beginning with <a href="/facts/Albrecht_D%25C3%25BCrer/N38jX769">Albrecht Dürer</a> in 1515; in some depictions (such as that of <a href="/facts/Johannes_Kepler/wk6GTN3C">Johannes Kepler</a> in <i><a href="/facts/De_Stella_Nova/JtCckntY">De Stella Nova</a></i>, 1606), Scorpius also seems to threaten to sting Serpentarius in the foot. This is consistent with <a href="/facts/Azophi/qzc2hHfl">Azophi</a>, who already included <a href="/facts/Psi_Ophiuchi/sEJCz8sS">ψ Oph</a> and <a href="/facts/Omega_Ophiuchi/yJfpNgod">ω Oph</a> as the snake-charmer's "left foot", and <a href="/facts/Theta_Ophiuchi/NeCSs7y6">θ Oph</a> and <a href="/facts/Omicron_Ophiuchi/z0Sw2MEB">ο Oph</a> as his "right foot", making Ophiuchus a <a href="/facts/Zodiacal_constellation/v7sWp0ef">zodiacal constellation</a> at least as regards his feet.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:63" href="#fn:63"><sup>63</sup></a> This arrangement has been taken as symbolic in later literature and placed in relation to the words spoken by God to the serpent in the <a href="/facts/Garden_of_Eden/G52p2uaP">Garden of Eden</a> (Genesis 3:15).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:64" href="#fn:64"><sup>64</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="zodiac">Zodiac</h2> <p class="note">Main article: <a href="/facts/Ophiuchus_(astrology)/GvMPsY0S">Ophiuchus (astrology)</a></p> <p>Ophiuchus is one of the 13 constellations that cross the <a href="/facts/Ecliptic/cJxXDDDW">ecliptic</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:65" href="#fn:65"><sup>65</sup></a> It has sometimes been suggested as the "13th sign of the <a href="/facts/Zodiac/v7sWp0ef">zodiac</a>". However, this confuses <a href="/facts/Zodiac_sign/mUYgvLzW">zodiac or astrological signs</a> with <a href="/facts/Constellations/nBQqgW8A">constellations</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:66" href="#fn:66"><sup>66</sup></a> The signs of the zodiac are a 12-fold division of the ecliptic, so that each sign spans 30° of celestial longitude, approximately the distance the Sun travels in a month, and (in the Western tradition) are aligned with the seasons so that the <a href="/facts/March_equinox/27hlaADj">March equinox</a> always falls on the boundary between Pisces and Aries.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:67" href="#fn:67"><sup>67</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:68" href="#fn:68"><sup>68</sup></a> Constellations, on the other hand, are unequal in size and are based on the positions of the stars. The <a href="/facts/Zodiacal_constellation/v7sWp0ef">constellations of the zodiac</a> have only a loose association with the signs of the zodiac, and do not in general coincide with them.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:69" href="#fn:69"><sup>69</sup></a> In Western astrology the constellation of Aquarius, for example, largely corresponds to the sign of Pisces. Similarly, the constellation of Ophiuchus occupies most (29 November – 18 December<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:70" href="#fn:70"><sup>70</sup></a>) of the sign of Sagittarius (23 November – 21 December). The differences are due to the fact that the time of year that the Sun passes through a particular zodiac constellation's position has slowly changed (because of the <a href="/facts/Axial_precession/NQ79x3m3">precession of the Earth's rotational axis</a>) over the centuries from when the <a href="/facts/Babylonians/J4jjdUua">Babylonians</a> originally developed the zodiac.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:71" href="#fn:71"><sup>71</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:72" href="#fn:72"><sup>72</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="citations">Citations</h2> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Ophiuchus_(Chinese_astronomy)/1eFcs4Y0">Ophiuchus (Chinese astronomy)</a></li></ul> <ul><li>Levy, David H. (2005). <a href="https://archive.org/details/deepskyobjects00davi"><i>Deep Sky Objects</i></a>. Prometheus Books. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 1-59102-361-0.</li> <li>Ridpath, Ian; and Tirion, Wil; (2007) <i>Stars and Planets Guide</i>, Collins, London; <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 978-0-00-725120-9, Princeton University Press, Princeton; <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 978-0-691-13556-4</li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> <a href="/facts/Wikisource/TrMdylNf">Wikisource</a> has the text of the <a href="/facts/Encyclop%25C3%25A6dia_Britannica_Eleventh_Edition/mPElbCRY">1911 <i>Encyclopædia Britannica</i></a> article "Serpentarius". Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ophiuchus (constellation). <ul><li><a href="http://www.allthesky.com/constellations/ophiuchus/">The Deep Photographic Guide to the Constellations: Ophiuchus</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/ophiuchus.html">Star Tales – Ophiuchus</a></li> <li><a href="https://iconographic.warburg.sas.ac.uk/category/vpc-taxonomy-017051">Warburg Institute Iconographic Database (ca 160 medieval and early modern images of Ophiuchus under the Latin name Serpentarius)</a></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>"Star Tales – Ophiuchus". Retrieved 25 June 2021. <a href="http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/ophiuchus.html" target="_blank">http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/ophiuchus.html</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Dickinson, Terence (2006). Nightwatch A practical Guide to Viewing the Universe Revised Fourth Edition: Updated for use Through 2025. 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