Constellations
Ophiuchus (Oph)
The Serpent Bearer
Also known as serpent bearer, serpent holder.
6 looks for Ophiuchus
The constellation in a clear night sky over the hills: its lines draw themselves one on every beat, its real stars twinkle with the part of the song their colour answers, the Milky Way glows and a shooting star crosses on the big moments.
About Ophiuchus
- What it is
- One of the IAU's constellations: The Serpent Bearer
- IAU abbreviation
- Oph
- Its stars are named
- Ophiuchi (as in "Alpha Ophiuchi")
- Family
- Hercules family
- Where
- Along the celestial equator: seen from both hemispheres
- Highest in the sky
- At about 9 pm in July
- Centre
- Right ascension 16h 58m, declination −9° 17′
- The figure
- 16 stars joined by 17 lines
- Brightest star
- Rasalhague, magnitude 2.08
Its stars
Brightest first. A smaller magnitude is a brighter star; the visualizer sizes and colours each one by these.
- Rasalhague (α Oph)mag 2.08
- Sabik (η Oph)mag 2.43
- Saik (ζ Oph)mag 2.56
- Yed Prior (δ Oph)mag 2.74
- Cebalrai (β Oph)mag 2.77
- κ Ophmag 3.20
- Yed Posterior (ε Oph)mag 3.24
- Garafsa (θ Oph)mag 3.27
- Sinistra (ν Oph)mag 3.34
- Muliphen (γ Oph)mag 3.75
- Marfik (λ Oph)mag 3.82
- φ Ophmag 4.28
- d Ophmag 4.29
- χ Ophmag 4.42
- ψ Ophmag 4.50
- ρ Ophmag 4.63
Every star's place, brightness and colour is the Yale Bright Star Catalogue's; the figure is the IAU's, through d3-celestial (credited on the licences page). Constellations template · Every constellation