In Marcus Manilius’ astrological poetry, the constellation is portrayed as one that winds in loops: “The serpent, however, returns with a bending of its supple neck, and the other’s hands slide over the loosened coils. The struggle will go on indefinitely because they are fighting on equal footing with equal force “.. Later in the poem, he characterizes Ophiuchus’ astrological impact as one that provides affinity with snakes and protection from poisons when the constellation is in its rising phase, saying “He makes snakes appear harmless to those who are born under his rule. They will receive snakes within the folds of their flowing robes, kiss these venomous monsters, and they will not be harmed “.. Because of the link between poisons and medicines, a later 4th century astrologer known as Anonymous of 379 connected “the bright star of Ophiuchus,” Ras Alhague ( Ophiuchi), with doctors, healers, or physicians (v).
Suggestions that there are “13 astrological signs” because “the Sun is in the sign of Ophiuchus” between November 30 and December 18 have been published since at least the 1970s, based on the 1930 IAU constellation limits.
Steven Schmidt proposed a 14-sign zodiac in his book Astrology 14 in 1970, adding Ophiuchus (December 6 to December 31) and Cetus (May 12 to June 6) as new signs.
The idea was followed up by Walter Berg in his book The 13 Signs of the Zodiac in 20th-century sidereal astrology (1995).
Parke Kunkle, an astronomer at the Minnesota Planetarium Society, repeated the idea of “the 13th zodiac sign Ophiuchus” in a remark in January 2011, which made headlines in the popular press.
In This Article...
Is Ophiuchus a guy or a woman?
Ophiuchus is located northwest of the Milky Way’s center, between Aquila, Serpens, Scorpius, Sagittarius, and Hercules. Scorpius to the west and Sagittarius to the east make up the southern portion. Summer is the greatest time to see it in the northern hemisphere. It’s the polar opposite of Orion. Ophiuchus is represented as a man holding a serpent, with his body dividing the Serpens constellation into two sections, Serpens Caput and Serpens Cauda. Ophiuchus is a constellation that spans the equator, with the most of its territory in the southern hemisphere. Rasalhague, the brightest star in the constellation, is located towards the northern edge of Ophiuchus at approximately +12 30 declination. The constellation stretches southward to a declination of 30 degrees. Within Ophiuchus, portions of the ecliptic are south of 20 declination.
Is Ophiuchus an uncommon species?
Aries is the second rarest zodiac sign, followed by Sagittarius, both of which are fire signs, according to Stardust. “Aries is the first sign of the zodiac,” Stardust explains, noting that this sign is known for having a spark of creativity that “gets everyone up and moving.” The third rarest zodiac sign, Sagittarius, “falls during the autumn season and is renowned to be adventurous and free-spirited,” according to Stardust.
What is the correct pronunciation of Ophiuchus?
Ophiuchus is pronounced as /fijuks/ in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). Ophiuchus is pronounced “oh-FEW-kuss” in simple old English.
What is the spirit animal of Ophiuchus?
Were you born between the 30th of November and the 18th of December?
On your birthday, the sun will most likely pass in front of the constellation Ophiuchus the Serpent Bearer.
I’m almost expecting to hear someone say:
You’re entirely correct. That’s because Ophiuchus is a zodiac constellation, not a sign. Continue reading to learn more about the differences between astrological signs and astronomical constellations, when and where to look for Ophiuchus, the deep-sky gems it holds, its mythology, science, and more.
Signs versus constellations
On August and September evenings, the Serpent Bearer stands tall in the south to southwest sky from Northern Hemisphere latitudes. Ophiuchus is closer to above from the Southern Hemisphere. Antares, the brightest red star in the constellation Scorpius the Scorpion, is also close by.
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) drew up the official boundary lines for all 88 constellations in the 1930s. Rasalhague, Ophiuchus’ brightest star, and Antares, Scorpius’ brightest star, are labeled in the photo below of the constellation Ophiuchus. Rasalhague is a bright star that marks Ophiuchus’ head, although it pales in comparison to Antares, the star that depicts the Scorpion’s beating heart.
Ophiuchus is in a bad way. Despite the fact that the ecliptic passes through him, no one ever claims him as a birth sign. After all, the zodiac band stretches 8 degrees north and south of the ecliptic, with a total width of 16 degrees. The constellations aren’t evenly distributed along this area in our sky, either. Everyone who reads astrological advice online is familiar with the zodiac signs. There are 12 zodiac signs: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, and so forth. However, there is no Ophiuchus.
However, the moon and planets pass through Ophiuchus on a regular basis. Likewise, the sun. From roughly November 30 to December 18, the sun is in front of Ophiuchus.
Around November 21, or anytime the sun is exactly 30 degrees west of the December solstice point, the sun is said to enter the sign of Sagittarius. On the December 21 solstice, the sun enters the sign of Capricorn. So, regardless of the sun shining in front of the constellation Ophiuchus from November 30 to December 18, the sun passes through the sign Sagittarius for the month leading up to the December solstice.
The December solstice point, by the way, travels one degree westward in front of the zodiacal constellations or backdrop stars every 72 years or so. By the year 2269, the December solstice point will have finally moved into the constellation Ophiuchus.
When and where to locate Ophiuchus
Summer in the Northern Hemisphere is the ideal time to see Ophiuchus (Southern Hemisphere winter). Late July and early August in the Northern Hemisphere show this constellation high in the southern sky during twilight and early evening. On fall evenings in the Northern Hemisphere, it can be visible in the southwest sky.
This relatively large constellation lies to the north of Scorpius the Scorpion and to the south of Hercules the Hero in the sky. If you’re familiar with the brightest star in Scorpius, Antares, try star-hopping to Ophiuchus from this crimson beauty. The star Rasalhague appears on Ophiuchus’ skull (Alpha Ophiuchi).
In tradition and in the sky, Ophiuchus is associated with the Serpent constellation.
If you have a dark sky, you might notice that this is one constellation that looks exactly how it should: a large man holding a snake.
Ophiuchus is derived from two Greek words that signify serpent and holding.
Deep-sky objects in Ophiuchus
Take your binoculars and scan Ophiuchus, which lies in the Milky Way band and has numerous deep-sky wonders, on a night when the moon isn’t visible. For example, Ophiuchus has a lot of globular clusters. M10 and M12 are the two simplest globular clusters to see with conventional binoculars, as seen in the chart above. They seem as weak puffs of light via binoculars, but with a telescope, you can see these globular clusters for what they are. They’re massive stellar metropolis with hundreds of thousands of stars that span a hundred to a few hundred light-years in diameter.
The Pipe Nebula, a massive interstellar cloud of gas and dust spreading across nearly 7 degrees of sky, is another big deep-sky favorite. That’s about the width of three to four fingers at arm’s length. This dark nebula is located in southern Ophiuchus at a distance of 600 to 700 light-years and can be viewed with the naked eye in a dark, transparent sky. The Pipe Nebula is located to the east of Antares and to the north of Shaula and Lesath. The above chart shows these two stars (but not the Pipe Nebula).
Ophiuchus in myth and star lore
Ophiuchus represents Asclepius, the Greek deity of medicine and doctors, in Greek mythology. He is always shown with a large serpent or snake in his hand. A snake’s venom can either kill or cure, depending on how it’s utilized. Asclepius is claimed to have manufactured a healing elixir from Serpens the Serpent’s venom, Gorgon’s blood, and an unknown herb. Until the god of the underworld, Pluto, appealed to the king of the gods, this potion granted humanity immortality. Pluto urged Zeus to rethink the consequences of death’s death.
We have no idea how Pluto made his case. Maybe he just said that what never lives never dies, and that no mortal can have one without the other. Sophocles may have summed up the myth’s core theme when he said:
It is preferable to die and sleep the never-waking slumber than to live after the soul’s life has passed.
In his Four Quartets, poet T.S. Eliot may have mirrored the notion of the ever-living story:
In any case, according to legend, Zeus seized the elixir, exiled Asclepius from Earth, and enshrined the great physician in the celestial realms. The Staff of Asclepius, which represents the World Health Organization and other medical organizations, pays homage to this legend and reflects the powerful celestial shape of Ophiuchus the Serpent Bearer.
Ophiuchus in history and science
A supernova explosion of a star within our own Milky Way galaxy hasn’t been seen in almost 400 years. However, in the year 1604, a supernova known as Kepler’s Supernova blasted into the scene, allowing for 18 months of naked-eye sight. It sparkled in the southern hemisphere of Ophiuchus, not far from the Pipe Nebula.
Tycho’s Supernova, which lighted up Cassiopeia in 1572, was followed by Kepler’s Supernova in 1604. The Aristotelian notion of an immutable universe outside the orbit of the moon was shattered by these supernovae, which sent shock waves through Europe’s intelligentsia. Tycho Brahe measured the 1572 supernova’s parallax, proving that it was not an atmospheric phenomenon. In reality, the supernova flashed well beyond the orbit of the moon. Shortly after, in 1604, Kepler’s Supernova seemed to hammer home the point once more.
Furthermore, in 1577, Tycho Brahe estimated the distance of a comet and discovered that it was also farther away than the moon. Aristotelians wanted to believe comets were gases burning in the atmosphere, but Tycho disproved Aristotle’s unchanging universe theory once more.
Bottom line: For nearly two weeks each year, the sun passes through the constellation Ophiuchus the Serpent Bearer, making Ophiuchus an unofficial member of the zodiac. Learn the difference between astrological signs and astronomy constellations, as well as how to find Ophiuchus.
What is the birthstone for Ophiuchus?
If you’re looking for a gift for someone born under the new Ophiuchus star sign, though, you could have a little more difficulty.
The controversial 13th sign will be absent from most zodiac jewelry collections, but how about a piece of birthstone jewelry instead?
According to the ‘new’ star sign dates, the Ophiuchus birthstone for November would be topaz or citrine, and for December it would be turquoise, tanzanite, or blue zircon.
With that in mind, scroll down to see some of our favorite Ophiuchus birthstone jewelry picks!
What are the three zodiac signs that are extremely rare?
Some may consider this sign to be the rarest because it is rarely utilized, but when most people ask which signs are the most and least common, they truly mean within the range of the 12 zodiac signs we are most familiar with.
Alicia Keys, Paul Newman, Jackie Robinson, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Galileo Galilei, Shakira, Corazon Aquino, Toni Morrison, Laura Dern, and others are all notable Aquarians.