Mythology
There exist a number of theories as to whom the figure represents.
The most recent interpretation is that the figure represents the healer Asclepius, who learned the secrets of keeping death at bay after observing one serpent bringing another healing herbs. To prevent the entire human race from becoming immortal under Asclepius' care, Zeus killed him with a bolt of lightning, but later placed his image in the heavens to honor his good works. It has also been noted that the constellation Ophiuchus is in close proximity in the sky to that of Sagittarius, which has at times been believed to represent Chiron (the mentor of Asclepius and many other Greek demigods), though Chiron was originally associated with the constellation Centaurus.
Another possibility is that the figure represents the Trojan priest Laocoön, who was killed by a pair of sea serpents sent by the gods after he warned the Trojans not to accept the Trojan Horse. This event was also memorialized by the sculptors Agesander, Athenodoros, and Polydorus in the famous marble sculpture Laocoön and his Sons, which stands in the Vatican Museums.
A third possibility is Apollo wrestling with the Python to take control of the oracle at Delphi.
There is also the story of Phorbas, a Thessalonikan who rescued the people of the island of Rhodes from a plague of serpents and was granted a place in the sky in honor of this deed.
Yet another possibility is the biblical story of Adam, who is wrestling with the serpent on a more basic level metaphorically, as even the Hebrew Qaballa has a number of man which basically embodies the meaning of the man wrestling with the serpent as half of his natural pre-disposition(358).
Johannes Kepler's drawing depicting the location of the stella nova in the foot of Ophiuchus.
Astrology
In the 2nd century, Ptolemy listed 29 stars in Ophiuchus. He recognized that most of those stars were north of the ecliptic (the path of the Sun through the sky); however, four of them (today known as 36 Oph, 42 ? Oph, 44 Oph, and 51 Oph) he recognized as being south of the ecliptic. Therefore, the Sun passed through the constellation of Ophiuchus as it was recognized by Ptolemy. However, Ophiuchus is not a zodiacal sign in Western astrology due to a historical system in which 12 signs divided equally into 30 degrees each are vital. At present, the Sun is in Ophiuchus from November 30 to December 17.
Since Ophiuchus isn't recognized in astrology, it has no astrological symbol, unlike the other twelve. However, the 1997 PlayStation video game Final Fantasy Tactics (and later the Final Fantasy compilation Ivalice Alliance, a spin-off from Tactics), where the Zodiacs are central to the story, a symbol for Ophiuchus (there referred to by its Latin name Serpentarius) had been made: a U with a single wavy line, the serpent, running across the center. The Final Fantasy esper, Zodiark, is linked to this constellation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophiuchus
Ophiuchus holds a huge snake, Serpens, in both hands as shown in the Atlas Coelestis of John Flamsteed. Serpens is unique in being divided into two halves.
Ophiuchus, the Snake Charmer, is the thirteenth of the twelve constellations of the Zodiac. It is the forgotten constellation, perhaps, for the Sun actually spends more time before the stars of Ophiuchus (19 days) than it does in neighboring Scorpius (6 days). Also, the stars in this area of the sky are less than magnificent. There are only four stars that exceed a rating of magnitude three. Alpha, Ras Alhague, is a magnitude 2.1 star somewhat less than midway on the line from Vega toward Antares. Eta Ophiuchi, Zeta, and Beta follow at 2.6, 2.7 and 2.9 magnitude. These stars can be found above Scorpius and below the stars of Hercules. Aquila is to the east. The center of the constellation crosses the meridian at about eleven p.m. in early July.
For binocular viewing there are six star clusters in this area of the sky, all with Messier numbers: 9, 10, 12, 14, 19 and 62. Another, M107, is dimmer and would require a telescope for study. Still other globular clusters exist in this region, making 22 in all.
A number of double stars are here, too, including Sabik (Eta-Ophiuchi), a pair of third-magnitude stars separated by one second. 70-Ophiuchi is another interesting multiple star, which José Olivarez has considered in his Observations column. The colors of the stars are said to be yellow and purple. This star system was discovered in 1779 by Sir William Herschel. It is part of an olden asterism made up with other stars in this region of Ophiuchus. The stars form the letter V that suggests the Hyades in Taurus, the Bull. In 1777, a Polish astronomer, Abbé Poczobut of Wilna, asked the French Academy to honor the last Polish king, King Stanislaus Poniatowski, with a constellation. The designation did not last, however, although “Poniatowski's Bull” may still be found on some star charts.
Æsculapius was an immortal man who had been schooled by the centaur Chiron in the arts of botany and medicine. So he was knowledgeable of the various herbs and plants and a student of nature. One day, it is said, he was in the house of a friend when he killed a snake. He watched in astonishment when another snake slithered into the room with a particular herb in its mouth and with it restored the slain reptile to life. Recognizing the plant, Æsculapius soon had learned to use its mystical powers to heal the sick and resurrect the dead. It is from this history and from the ability of a snake to cast off its skin and assume a new revitalization that serpents have become symbols for healing. The staff of Æsculapius, with a snake coiling about the rod, is well known in today's medicine. Unfortunately, this symbol is often confused with the caduceus of Mercury, which is a doubly-winged wand entwined by two snakes. Truly, however, the symbol of Mercury is the symbol of messengers.
Æsculapius, the first doctor, sailed on the famous voyage of the Argonauts in search of the Golden Fleece. Following the journey, he continued to heal the sick and to advance the practice of medicine. On the death of Orion, he was about to attempt to restore the life of this great hero when Pluto, lord of the underworld, intervened. Pluto reasoned that his realm would decline if Æsculapius were allowed to revive the dead. He appealed to his brother Jupiter to agree that death should be the ultimate end of mortal man, not to be trifled with even by the most skilled of physicians. Jupiter, king of the gods, struck Æsculapius with a thunderbolt and ended his life on Earth. But in tribute to the accomplishments and skill of the great physician, Jupiter placed him among the stars, where today he is known as Ophiuchus, the Serpent Bearer.
Antiquated star maps show a larger constellation, depicting the physician clutching the serpent that wraps about his body or shoulders. Now, however, the serpent itself is represented and is given two identities. Stars to the west are those of the head, Serpens Caput, while the tail section, Serpens Cauda, writhes eastward toward Aquila, above the shield of Scutum.
One of the most interesting objects that you can't see in Ophiuchus is the Pipe nebula. On dark, clear nights you won't see it because this absorption nebula lies in front of the spectacular Milky Way. It is one of the largest dark-cloud formations that can (cannot?) be seen from the Northern Hemisphere.
There exist a number of theories as to whom the figure represents.
The most recent interpretation is that the figure represents the healer Asclepius, who learned the secrets of keeping death at bay after observing one serpent bringing another healing herbs. To prevent the entire human race from becoming immortal under Asclepius' care, Zeus killed him with a bolt of lightning, but later placed his image in the heavens to honor his good works. It has also been noted that the constellation Ophiuchus is in close proximity in the sky to that of Sagittarius, which has at times been believed to represent Chiron (the mentor of Asclepius and many other Greek demigods), though Chiron was originally associated with the constellation Centaurus.
Another possibility is that the figure represents the Trojan priest Laocoön, who was killed by a pair of sea serpents sent by the gods after he warned the Trojans not to accept the Trojan Horse. This event was also memorialized by the sculptors Agesander, Athenodoros, and Polydorus in the famous marble sculpture Laocoön and his Sons, which stands in the Vatican Museums.
A third possibility is Apollo wrestling with the Python to take control of the oracle at Delphi.
There is also the story of Phorbas, a Thessalonikan who rescued the people of the island of Rhodes from a plague of serpents and was granted a place in the sky in honor of this deed.
Yet another possibility is the biblical story of Adam, who is wrestling with the serpent on a more basic level metaphorically, as even the Hebrew Qaballa has a number of man which basically embodies the meaning of the man wrestling with the serpent as half of his natural pre-disposition(358).
Johannes Kepler's drawing depicting the location of the stella nova in the foot of Ophiuchus.
Astrology
In the 2nd century, Ptolemy listed 29 stars in Ophiuchus. He recognized that most of those stars were north of the ecliptic (the path of the Sun through the sky); however, four of them (today known as 36 Oph, 42 ? Oph, 44 Oph, and 51 Oph) he recognized as being south of the ecliptic. Therefore, the Sun passed through the constellation of Ophiuchus as it was recognized by Ptolemy. However, Ophiuchus is not a zodiacal sign in Western astrology due to a historical system in which 12 signs divided equally into 30 degrees each are vital. At present, the Sun is in Ophiuchus from November 30 to December 17.
Since Ophiuchus isn't recognized in astrology, it has no astrological symbol, unlike the other twelve. However, the 1997 PlayStation video game Final Fantasy Tactics (and later the Final Fantasy compilation Ivalice Alliance, a spin-off from Tactics), where the Zodiacs are central to the story, a symbol for Ophiuchus (there referred to by its Latin name Serpentarius) had been made: a U with a single wavy line, the serpent, running across the center. The Final Fantasy esper, Zodiark, is linked to this constellation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophiuchus
Ophiuchus holds a huge snake, Serpens, in both hands as shown in the Atlas Coelestis of John Flamsteed. Serpens is unique in being divided into two halves.
Ophiuchus, the Snake Charmer, is the thirteenth of the twelve constellations of the Zodiac. It is the forgotten constellation, perhaps, for the Sun actually spends more time before the stars of Ophiuchus (19 days) than it does in neighboring Scorpius (6 days). Also, the stars in this area of the sky are less than magnificent. There are only four stars that exceed a rating of magnitude three. Alpha, Ras Alhague, is a magnitude 2.1 star somewhat less than midway on the line from Vega toward Antares. Eta Ophiuchi, Zeta, and Beta follow at 2.6, 2.7 and 2.9 magnitude. These stars can be found above Scorpius and below the stars of Hercules. Aquila is to the east. The center of the constellation crosses the meridian at about eleven p.m. in early July.
For binocular viewing there are six star clusters in this area of the sky, all with Messier numbers: 9, 10, 12, 14, 19 and 62. Another, M107, is dimmer and would require a telescope for study. Still other globular clusters exist in this region, making 22 in all.
A number of double stars are here, too, including Sabik (Eta-Ophiuchi), a pair of third-magnitude stars separated by one second. 70-Ophiuchi is another interesting multiple star, which José Olivarez has considered in his Observations column. The colors of the stars are said to be yellow and purple. This star system was discovered in 1779 by Sir William Herschel. It is part of an olden asterism made up with other stars in this region of Ophiuchus. The stars form the letter V that suggests the Hyades in Taurus, the Bull. In 1777, a Polish astronomer, Abbé Poczobut of Wilna, asked the French Academy to honor the last Polish king, King Stanislaus Poniatowski, with a constellation. The designation did not last, however, although “Poniatowski's Bull” may still be found on some star charts.
Æsculapius was an immortal man who had been schooled by the centaur Chiron in the arts of botany and medicine. So he was knowledgeable of the various herbs and plants and a student of nature. One day, it is said, he was in the house of a friend when he killed a snake. He watched in astonishment when another snake slithered into the room with a particular herb in its mouth and with it restored the slain reptile to life. Recognizing the plant, Æsculapius soon had learned to use its mystical powers to heal the sick and resurrect the dead. It is from this history and from the ability of a snake to cast off its skin and assume a new revitalization that serpents have become symbols for healing. The staff of Æsculapius, with a snake coiling about the rod, is well known in today's medicine. Unfortunately, this symbol is often confused with the caduceus of Mercury, which is a doubly-winged wand entwined by two snakes. Truly, however, the symbol of Mercury is the symbol of messengers.
Æsculapius, the first doctor, sailed on the famous voyage of the Argonauts in search of the Golden Fleece. Following the journey, he continued to heal the sick and to advance the practice of medicine. On the death of Orion, he was about to attempt to restore the life of this great hero when Pluto, lord of the underworld, intervened. Pluto reasoned that his realm would decline if Æsculapius were allowed to revive the dead. He appealed to his brother Jupiter to agree that death should be the ultimate end of mortal man, not to be trifled with even by the most skilled of physicians. Jupiter, king of the gods, struck Æsculapius with a thunderbolt and ended his life on Earth. But in tribute to the accomplishments and skill of the great physician, Jupiter placed him among the stars, where today he is known as Ophiuchus, the Serpent Bearer.
Antiquated star maps show a larger constellation, depicting the physician clutching the serpent that wraps about his body or shoulders. Now, however, the serpent itself is represented and is given two identities. Stars to the west are those of the head, Serpens Caput, while the tail section, Serpens Cauda, writhes eastward toward Aquila, above the shield of Scutum.
One of the most interesting objects that you can't see in Ophiuchus is the Pipe nebula. On dark, clear nights you won't see it because this absorption nebula lies in front of the spectacular Milky Way. It is one of the largest dark-cloud formations that can (cannot?) be seen from the Northern Hemisphere.
Comments
Post a Comment