Ophiuchus

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Abbreviation:  Oph (Ophiuchus)
English Name:  The Serpent Holder
Genitive: Rasalhague
Hemisphere: Northern Hemisphere
Location: Between the constellations of Hercules and Scorpius.
Visible between latitudes:  +80 and -80 degrees
Best season: Summer
Seen in three seasons: Spring, Summer, and Autumn.
Best seen in:  July (map)
Seen between: June and August
Right Ascension (RA): 17 hour
Declination (DEC): +00 degrees
Area (square degrees):  948 (11th)

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Ophiuchus (The Serpent Holder)

  • Ophiuchus is a very large but not particularly classifiable constellation; the southern portion of which extends to the galactic plane.
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  • The whole of the southern area is filled with gas and dust, giving rise to all three types of diffuse nebulae – there are some Open Clusters and about 25 Globular Clusters.

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Messier Objects in Ophiuchus

  • Messier 9
    Contains hundreds of thousands of ancient stars tightly bound together by gravity.
  • Messier 10
    It has a bright, dense core and a more loosely scattered outer region.
  • Messier 12
    It is a close companion in the sky to Messier 10, and both are popular summer targets.
  • Messier 14
    It is richer in stars than nearby clusters such as M10 and M12, but it appears fainter because it is much farther away and partially obscured by interstellar dust.
  • Messier 19
    one of the closest globular clusters to the centre of the Milky Way, lying only about 6,500 light-years from the galactic core.
  • Messier 62
    Among the most massive globular clusters in the Milky Way and is one of the richest clusters known for studying stellar collisions and the evolution of old star systems.
  • Messier 107
    Unlike very dense globular clusters, M107 has a more open and irregular structure.

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      More objects in Ophiuchus

      Select CatalogNo of Objects
      Barnard (B)64x objects
      Caldwell (C)0x object
      Collinder (Cr)8x objects
      New General Catalogue (NGC)42x objects
      Index Catalogue (IC)21x objects
      Sharpless (Sh2)3x objects

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      Features of Interest

      • NGC 6572 – Planetary Nebula; bright and is visible with 3-inch small telescopes. (Magnitude: +9.1)
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      • NGC 6633 – Open Cluster; bright, integrated magnitude +4.6 – visible with naked-eye. Worth examining with binoculars.
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      • IC 4665 – Open Cluster; large and scattered – no concentration of stars, moderate range in brightness. It is readily seen in binoculars and small telescopes. (Magnitude: +4.2)

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      Named Stars

      • Rasalhague (Alpha Oph)
      • Cebalrai (Beta Oph)
      • Yed Prior (Delta Oph)
      • Yed Posterior (Epsilon Oph)
      • Sabik (Eta Oph)
      • Marfic (Lambda Oph)
      • more list of stars in Ophiuchus

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      Planetarium / Constellation Map

      Live constellation visible
      from the UK :- Planetarium (Ophiuchus)      		Best Seen in:
      July (map)      		Seen between:
      June and August

      IAU Sky Chart: Ophiuchus

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      Constellations – Visible from the UK

      AndromedaAquariusAquilaAriesAuriga
      BoötesCamelopardalisCancerCanes VenaticiCanis Major
      Canis MinorCapricornusCassiopeiaCepheusCetus
      Coma BerenicesCorona BorealisCorvusCraterCygnus
      DelphinusDracoEquuleusGeminiHercules
      HydraLacertaLeoLeo MinorLepus
      LibraLynxLyraMonocerosOphiuchus
      OrionPegasusPerseusPiscesSagitta
      ScutumSerpens CaputSerpens CaudaSextansTaurus
      TriangulumUrsa MajorUrsa MinorVirgoVulpecula
      (50 constellations above are visible from the United Kingdom.)

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      Parts visible from the UK

      AntliaColumbaEridanusFornaxMicroscopium
      Piscis AustrinusPuppisPyxisSagittariusScorpius
      Sculptor
      (11 constellations above are partially visible from the United Kingdom.)

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      Constellations: Southern Celestial Hemisphere
      …..– never seen from the UK

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      Back to Constellation Names

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