Constellation
Represents a serpent-bearer, straddling the ecliptic and sometimes called the 13th zodiac sign.
| Type | Constellation |
|---|---|
| Area of sky | 948 sq° |
| Brightest star | Rasalhague |
| Brightest star magnitude | mag 2.07 |
| Hemisphere | Northern |
| Zodiac constellation | No |
| Discovered | 150 |
A constellation is a pattern drawn on the sky rather than a physical grouping: its stars are usually unrelated and sit at wildly different distances, just lined up as seen from Earth.
Ophiuchus covers 948 square degrees of sky, which is 2.3 percent of the whole celestial sphere.
That makes it the 11th largest of the 88 constellations the International Astronomical Union recognises.
It sits in the northern sky.
Its brightest star reaches magnitude 2.07, bright enough to pick out with the naked eye under a dark sky.
Play today's Cosmodle