The snake belongs to the equatorial constellations. Contains 106 bright stars, visible even to the naked eye. It occupies an area in the sky equal to 636.9 square degrees. This is the only constellation that is divided into 2 parts: the "head" and "tail" of the Serpent.
Constellation Serpens: what is the best time of year to observe?
Asterism is visible throughout the year. But for a full-fledged observation of the object, you need to know at what time it is better to observe the constellation Serpent. According to astronomical sources, the most successful hour falls on the summer months. The best period is July and August. The constellation is visible throughout the Russian Federation.
On a moonless and clear night, both parts of the constellation are visible above the southern part of the horizon. The brightest stars form a meandering, long chain, which is clearly visible to the observer - this is the desired Serpent asterism. The constellation contains many beautiful objects (according to astronomers), but only 60 of them are clearly visible in the night sky.
About a dozen of them are less than the fourth and third magnitude. Remaining objectsSnakes are invisible to the human eye. Other stars can only be seen with a telescope.
To find the constellation Serpens, you need to find Ophiuchus. It is formed in the form of an irregular circle and is easy to detect, starting from the neighboring constellations - Scorpio and Hercules.
History of the constellation
The Serpent was first discovered and combined into a star group by the astronomer Ptolemy in the 2nd century BC. Some time later, he entered it into the Almagest star catalog. Scientists of antiquity did a great job of classifying and defining the constellations, including the Serpent asterism. The constellation has undergone a number of modifications over the course of history.
The first mentions of this group of stars date back to ancient times. At one time, it stood out as a separate Snake. The constellation at that time was considered an integral part of the asterism Ophiuchus. It was finally separated into a separate constellation only in 1922.
Nearest neighbors
The constellation is divided into two unrelated parts: the head (western) and tail (eastern) of the Serpent, separated by the asterism of Ophiuchus. To find it, it is easier to navigate by neighboring objects.
The Head of the Serpent borders on Bootes, Virgo, Libra, Hercules, the Northern Crown and Ophiuchus. And the closest neighbors of the tail are Sagittarius, Shield, Ophiuchus and Eagle.
Legend
The constellation of the Serpent and the asterism of Ophiuchus are united by a common legend. The history of the appearance of their names is connected with the God of healing - Asclepius.
Legend saysthat Asclepius was the son of Coronis and Apollo. In infancy, he was given to be raised by the centaur Chiron. He taught him various sciences, including medicine. When Asclepius grew up, Chiron passed on to him all the secrets of healing using snake venom.
Having achieved mastery in healing people, he decided to learn how to resurrect the dead. Athena came to his aid and donated the blood of the Gorgon Medusa. She had miraculous power, resurrected the dead. Asclepius, using the gift, returned several people to the world of the living. For which Hades and Zeus were very angry with him, because only they controlled the lives of people.
The Thunderer, out of rage, struck him with lightning and transferred him to heaven in the form of the constellation Ophiuchus. As a warning, Asclepius was instructed to become the patron of all doctors - the god of medicine.
The ancient Greeks depicted Asclepius as a bearded God holding a rod with a snake wrapped around it. It was from here that the symbol of medicine subsequently arose - a snake wrapping around a bowl. Further, the constellation "Kite" became a kind of symbol in modern medicine.
Visible and "invisible" asterism objects
Snake - the constellation is quite bright. However, it lacks stars of the first magnitude. Alpha is the brightest star. It is a triple formation. Two of them have their own names. The first is known as Unukalnai. In translation - the "neck" of the Serpent, and the second as Cor Serpentis - the "heart" of the Serpent.
The main of the three is the giant of orangecolors. It is 70 times brighter than our sun. The object is located at a distance of 73.2 light years from Earth.
This is the second brightest star. It is an orange giant, has a satellite. This twin star is located at a distance of 61.8 light years from us. The Chinese name of the luminary - Tang received its original name in honor of the famous Chinese Tang family.
Mu Serpens or Leiolepis (smooth or scaly) is considered the third brightest star. This is a white dwarf. The object is located approximately 156 light years from Earth.
Moses' copper snake
Xi is a compound star in the constellation Serpens. She is known as Nekhushtan. This name is identified with the bronze snake of Moses. The main component is a yellow giant. It consists of a spectroscopic binary star and has a faint companion of the 13th magnitude.
Beta of the constellation Serpens is a multi-star system consisting of a satellite and one white dwarf. The distance from Earth to a star is approximately 153 light years. Interestingly, beta refers to the shifting group of stars in the Big Dipper.
Delta consists of two pairs of stars and is located at a distance of approximately 210 light years. Received the name Chin in honor of the Chinese Jing Dynasty. The main object is considered to be a white-yellow subgiant. According to its classification, it is a delta Scuti variable star. The dim companion is represented by an F-class subgiant.
Gamma is a yellow-white dwarf known as the "eye" of the Serpent - Ainalhai. It is noteworthy that the star has two optical satellites.
Epsilon or "good" Snake Nulla Pambu is a white dwarf. It is located at a distance of about 70.3 light years from Earth.
Theta constellation or Alya - "sheep's tail", displays the completion of the "tail" of the Serpent. The object is a multi-star system and is located at a distance of 132 light years from our Earth. It is noteworthy that white dwarfs are considered to be the two main components, and the third star belongs to the G-type.
Kappa is a red giant with a magnitude of 4.09. The object is located at a distance of 348 light years.
Nebulae and clusters in the constellation Serpens
The Eagle Nebula, also known as Monsieur 16, is a rather young star cluster. Its shape resembles something similar to a bird. The cluster contains the known area "Pillars of Creation". This is a fairly large region of star formation, similar to the "Mountains of Creation", located in the constellation Cassiopeia.
The Eagle Nebula is thought to be part of the emission nebula IC 4703. The Serpens constellation (pictured below) is full of various similar nebulae. It is an active region of star formation. Located approximately 6,500 light years from our Sun.
"Monsieur 5" is a globular cluster with a diameter of 165 light years. It is clearly visible in the sky with the naked eye in the form of a dim star. Monsieur 5 is considered one of the largest globular clusters ever discovered. The brightest stars in the cluster have a luminosity of 12,2.
The cluster contains more than a hundred variable stars. NGC 5904 is one of the oldest clusters in the Milky Way. According to scientists, the age of "Monsieur 5" is equal to 13 billion years.
Also located here is MWC 922, known as the Red Square Nebula. This symmetrical bipolar region contains a number of hot stars. Forms a perfect square shape. The nebula is located near Monsieur 16.
Conclusion
During the course of history, astronomers have combined stars into groups and called them constellations. Today there are eighty-eight constellations.
Perhaps the Serpent asterism is not the most significant object. But it belongs to a part of the entire mosaic of the starry sky and creates a complete picture of the cosmos we see.
