Ophiucus
There is some disagreement over the origin of this constellation. Apparently it was once known as Asclepius, who was the Greek god of medicine. One such reference was made in the writings of Eudoxus, in the fourth century BC.
Eudoxus (c400-c347 BC) deserves to be better known. He may have been a member of Plato's Academy, and it is possible he was its head for some time.
Eudoxus was a prolific writer of scientific subjects, and thinkers such as Euclid incorporated much of his work into their own. He mapped out the constellations, and the result became the main star reference for hundreds of years. Among other feats, he divided the sky into degrees of longitude and latitude and devised a better calendar. He was also a well known geographer and mathematician, but it was his work on astronomy that he is principally remembered.
Later Greek stories arose about Carnabon, a king of the Getae, who killed a famous dragon, or even of Heracles, who (you might recall) killed Draco. Thus the story of the man and serpent came to represent a host of individuals, but most authorities now seem to opt for Asclepius, or Aesculapius, which is the Latin equivalent of the Greek god of medicine.
Son of Apollo and a nymph called Coronis, Asclepius was taught medicine by the centaur Chiron. (His mythology also arises from Thessaly, where the stories of the centaurs originated.)
Asclepius became the Argonauts' surgeon, sailing with them on the ship Argo, and he managed to bring back to life a number of people, including the son of King Minos of Crete.
It was after Asclepius tried to revive Orion, bitten by the scorpion, that Pluto began to complain. He argued to Zeus that if Asclepius had his way he would rob Pluto of the entire population of Hades. Zeus agreed; they couldn't permit men to be immortal. So he sent a thunderbolt to end Asclepius's life.
Zeus later put Asclepius in the heavens along with the Serpent. The serpent has long been a symbol for renewed life.
While the cult of Asclepius began in Thessaly, temples were built throughout Greece, especially near healing springs. Around 300 BC the cult arrived in Rome.
Ancient sculpture typically shows the god bare breasted, attired in a long flowing cloak, and holding a staff with a serpent coiled about it. This is perhaps the forerunner of the modern medical symbol of the caduceus.
The constellation Ophiuchus is thus found in the midst of the Serpens. The southern part of Ophiuchus dips into a very dense portion of the Milky Way, resulting in a great many deep sky objects.
The Bayer stars of Ophiuchus are fairly bright, five of which have a magnitude brighter than 3.0.
The brightest star, alpha Ophiuchi, is better known as Rasalhague, meaning "Head of the Snake Charmer". This is a rather close star, at 54 light years away, and a celestial neighbour of Ras Algethi (alpha Herculis), which lies to the WNW five degrees.
Ophiuchus has a half-dozen or so visual doubles, and even more star clusters. In fact Ophiuchus has more globular clusters than any other constellation. The region encircling rho Ophiuchi is also of some interest. This area contains several dark clouds and nebulae that show the active formation of stars.
Zeus later put Asclepius in the heavens along with the Serpent. The serpent has long been a symbol for renewed life.
While the cult of Asclepius began in Thessaly, temples were built throughout Greece, especially near healing springs. Around 300 BC the cult arrived in Rome.
Ancient sculpture typically shows the god bare breasted, attired in a long flowing cloak, and holding a staff with a serpent coiled about it. This is perhaps the forerunner of the modern medical symbol of the caduceus.
The constellation Ophiuchus is thus found in the midst of the Serpens. The southern part of Ophiuchus dips into a very dense portion of the Milky Way, resulting in a great many deep sky objects.
The Bayer stars of Ophiuchus are fairly bright, five of which have a magnitude brighter than 3.0.
The brightest star, alpha Ophiuchi, is better known as Rasalhague, meaning "Head of the Snake Charmer". This is a rather close star, at 54 light years away, and a celestial neighbour of Ras Algethi (alpha Herculis), which lies to the WNW five degrees.
Ophiuchus has a half-dozen or so visual doubles, and even more star clusters. In fact Ophiuchus has more globular clusters than any other constellation. The region encircling rho Ophiuchi is also of some interest. This area contains several dark clouds and nebulae that show the active formation of stars.
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