The constellation Serpens, also known as "the Serpent “, in ancient Greek and romanized as "phis," is located in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is still one of the eighty-eight contemporary constellations recognised by the International Astronomical Union and one of the forty-eight constellations identified by the 2nd-century astronomer Claudius Ptolemy. Being divided into two non-contiguous sections, Serpens Caput (Serpent Head) to the west and Serpens Cauda (Serpent Tail) to the east, makes it distinctive among contemporary constellations. The "Serpent-Bearer" constellation of Ophiuchus is located between these two sections. In figurative renderings, the serpent's body is seen moving between Mu Serpentis in Serpens Caput and Nu Serpentis in Serpens Cauda, passing in front of Ophiuchus.
The red giant star Alpha Serpentis, also known as Unukalhai, in Serpens Caput, has an apparent magnitude of 2.63 and is the brightest star in Serpens. The naked-eye variables R Serpentis and Tau4 Serpentis, as well as the globular cluster Messier 5, are all found in Serpens Caput. Seyfert's Sextet, one of the densest galaxy clusters known, Arp 220, the classic ultraluminous infrared galaxy, and Hoag's Object, the most well-known member of the extremely rare class of galaxies known as ring galaxies are notable extragalactic objects. |
Serpens Cauda is home to many galactic deep-sky objects, including the Eagle Nebula (IC 4703) and its associated star cluster Messier 16, as it is part of the Milky Way's galactic plane. The Pillars of Creation, three dust clouds that rose to fame thanks to an image captured by the Hubble Space Telescope, are located within the nebula, which is seventy light-years by fifty light-years in size. The Red Square Nebula, one of the rare objects in astronomy to have a square shape, and Westerhout 40, a large nearby star-forming zone made up of a molecular cloud and an H II region, are two other eye-catching features.
History
Serpens is a snake handled by the physician Asclepius in Greek mythology. Asclepius, who is symbolised in the sky by the constellation Ophiuchus, once killed a snake, but it later came back to life after another snake applied a reviving herb to it just before it passed away. In ancient Greek culture, snakes were seen as a sign of rebirth since they shed their skin every year. According to tradition, Asclepius would bring the dead back to life using the same method he saw. Although this is most likely the explanation for Serpens' association with Ophiuchus, the real cause is still unknown. Although Serpens was occasionally shown coiling around Ophiuchus, the bulk of atlases showed Serpens moving beneath or between Ophiuchus' legs. |
The constellations Serpens and Ophiuchus were frequently portrayed as a single constellation, however, in some ancient atlases, they were shown as two independent constellations. Johann Bayer was a prominent artist who distinguished Serpens from Ophiuchus; as a result, Serpens' stars are listed with different Bayer designations than those of Ophiuchus. In the 1920s, Eugène Delporte chose to depict the two independently when he set up the limits of the current constellations. Deporte chose to divide Serpens into two regions, the head, and the tail, divided by the continuous Ophiuchus, to solve the dilemma of how to separate the two constellations. The Latin words for head and tail, respectively, are caput and cauda, respectively, and these two regions came to be known as Serpens Caput and Serpens Cauda.
In Chinese astrology, the majority of Serpens' stars stood in for a portion of a wall enclosing Tianshi, a market located in Ophiuchus and Hercules. A few Chinese constellations can be found in Serpens as well. A portion of Shilou, the skyscraper housing the market office, was represented by the two stars in the tail. Another star in the tail stood for the jewellery stores in Liesi. Tianru, the wet nursing or occasionally rain of the royal prince, was identified by a lone star in the head (Mu Serpentis).
Muuu and Bamu were the names of two "serpent" constellations in Babylonian astronomy. It seems that Muuu was compared to Hydra and was shown as a cross between a dragon, lion, and bird. Bamu, a horned serpent (cf. Ningishzida), somewhat resembles the constellation Eudoxus of Cnidus, upon which Ptolemy's Serpens is based. (White 2007)
Muuu and Bamu were the names of two "serpent" constellations in Babylonian astronomy. It seems that Muuu was compared to Hydra and was shown as a cross between a dragon, lion, and bird. Bamu, a horned serpent (cf. Ningishzida), somewhat resembles the constellation Eudoxus of Cnidus, upon which Ptolemy's Serpens is based. (White 2007)
Characteristics
One of the eighty-eight contemporary constellations, Serpens, is the only one that is divided into two separate areas in the sky: Serpens Caput (the head) and Serpens Cauda (the tail). The constellation is especially rare since it relies on another constellation for context, specifically the Serpent Bearer Ophiuchus, which is holding it.
In contrast to Serpens Cauda, whose boundaries are defined by a 22-sided polygon, Serpens Caput's boundaries were established by Belgian astronomer Eugène Delporte in 1930. The limits of Serpens Caput are located between 15h 10.4m and 16h 22.5m in right ascension and between 25.66° and 03.72° in declination in the equatorial coordinate system. Between right ascensions of 17h 16.9m and 18h, 58.3m and declinations of 06.42° and 16.14° are the limits of Serpens Cauda. In 1922, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) decided to shorten the constellation's name to "Ser."
One of the eighty-eight contemporary constellations, Serpens, is the only one that is divided into two separate areas in the sky: Serpens Caput (the head) and Serpens Cauda (the tail). The constellation is especially rare since it relies on another constellation for context, specifically the Serpent Bearer Ophiuchus, which is holding it.
In contrast to Serpens Cauda, whose boundaries are defined by a 22-sided polygon, Serpens Caput's boundaries were established by Belgian astronomer Eugène Delporte in 1930. The limits of Serpens Caput are located between 15h 10.4m and 16h 22.5m in right ascension and between 25.66° and 03.72° in declination in the equatorial coordinate system. Between right ascensions of 17h 16.9m and 18h, 58.3m and declinations of 06.42° and 16.14° are the limits of Serpens Cauda. In 1922, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) decided to shorten the constellation's name to "Ser."
Deep-sky Objects
Main stars - 11
Bayer stars - 57
Stars with planets - 15
Stars brighter than magnitude 3.00 - 1
Stars within 32Ly - 2
Messier objects - 2
Meteor showers - 0
Bordering
constellations
- Messier 5 (M5) – Globular Cluster
- L183/ L184N – Pre-stellar Core
- NGC 5962 – Spiral Galaxy
- NGC 5921 – Barred Spiral Galaxy
- NGC 5964 – Barred Spiral Galaxy
- NGC 6118 – Grand Design Spiral Galaxy
- Hoag’s Object – Ring Galaxy (Rare but fairly distant)
- Seyfert’s Sextet – Group of six galaxies, four of which are gravitationally interacting
- Messier 16 (M16) – Eagle Nebula – Emission Nebula
- Sh2-54 – HII Region
- NGC 6604 – Open Cluster
- IC 4756 – Open Cluster
Main stars - 11
Bayer stars - 57
Stars with planets - 15
Stars brighter than magnitude 3.00 - 1
Stars within 32Ly - 2
Messier objects - 2
Meteor showers - 0
Bordering
constellations
- Serpens Caput:
- Corona Borealis
- Boötes
- Virgo
- Libra
- Ophiuchus
- Hercules
- Aquila
- Ophiuchus
- Sagittarius
- Scutum