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Sky Chart and Artist Rendering of Serpens
Origin:
Serpens is the only constellation that is broken into two separate parts:
Serpens Caput (the Head of the Serpent) and Serpens Cauda (the Tail of the
Serpent). Originally, the two serpent halves were combined into one
constellation including Ophiuchus (the Serpent Bearer) to form one
enormous constellation. The serpents were one of Ptolemy's original
constellations. The boundaries of the individual serpents were set
by the International Astronomical Union
in 1930.
Information:
Serpens Caput sits south of Corona Borealis
and is bounded on either side by Hercules and Boötes with Ophiuchus
at the end of the meandering stars just east of Libra.
Serpens Cauda starts across Ophiuchus in the direction of Sagittarius and climbs diagonally towards Aquila. Serpens' claim to fame is the
spectacular globular cluster M5, comparable in brilliance and beauty to
the Great Cluster in Hercules.
Mythology:
The legends of Serpens are inextricably intertwined with that Ophiuchus. |
