Serpens

Ser Cauda star chart (IAU and Sky & Telescope magazine, Roger Sinnott & Rick Fienberg).

Ser Caput star chart (IAU and Sky & Telescope magazine, Roger Sinnott & Rick Fienberg).

One of the 88 IAU constellations.

Etymology and History

The Greek constellation ...

Origin of Constellation

Almagest Ὅφις.

id	Greek (Heiberg 1898)	English (Toomer 1984)	ident.
	Ὅφεως Ὀφιούχου ἀστερισμός.	Constellation of Serpens
1	τοῦ ἐν τῇ κεφαλῇ τετραπλεύρου ὁ ἐπ’ ἄκρας τῆς γένυος.	Stars on the quadrilateral in the heads: the one on the end of the jaw	iot Ser
2	ὁ τῶν μυκτήρων ἀπτόμενος.	Stars on the quadrilateral in the heads: the one touching the nostrils	rho Ser
3	ὁ ἐν τῷ κροτάφῳ.	Stars on the quadrilateral in the heads: the one in the temple	gam Ser
4	ὁ πρὸς τῇ ἐκφύσει τοῦ τραχήλου	Stars on the quadrilateral in the heads: the one where the neck joins [the head]	bet Ser
5	ὁ μέσος τοῦ τετραπλεύρου καὶ ἐν τῷ στόματι	Stars on the quadrilateral in the heads: the one in the middle of the quadrilateral, in the mouth	kap Ser
6	ὁ ἐκτὸς καὶ ἀπ’ ἄρκτον τῆς κεφαλῆς	The star outside the head, to the north of it	pi Ser
	ὁ μετὰ τὴν πρώτην καμπὴν τοῦ τραχήλου	The one after the first bend in the neck	del Ser
	τῶν ἐφεξῆς τούτου τριῶν ὁ βόρειος	The northernmost of the 3 following this	lam Ser
	ὁ μέσος τῶν τριῶν.	The middle one of the three	alf Ser
	ὁ νότιος αὐτῶν	The southernmost of them	eps Ser
	ὁ μετὰ τὴν ἐξῆς καμπὴν προηγούμενος τῆς ἀριστερᾶς χειρὸς τοῦ Ὀφιούχου	The star after the next bend, which is in ad vane(' of the left hand of Ophiuchus	mu Ser
	ὁ τοῦς ἐν τῇ χειρὶ ἐπόμενος	The star to, the rear of those in the hand [of Ophiuchus]	ups Oph
	ὁ μετὰ τὸ δεξιὸη ὀπισθόμηροη τοῦ Ὀφιούχου	The one alter the back of the right thigh of Ophiuchus	nu Ser
	τῶν ἐπομένων αὐτῷ β ὁ νοτιώτερος	The southernmost of the 2 to the rear of the latter	xi Ser
	ὁ βορειότερος αὐτῶν	The northernmost of them	omi Ser
	ὁ μετὰ τὴν δεξιὰν χεῖρα ἐπὶ τῆς οὐραίας καμπῆς	The one after the right hand [of Ophiuchus], on the bend in the tail	zet Ser
	ὁ τούτῳ ἐπόμενος ὁμοίως ἐπὶ τῆς οὐρᾶς.	The one to the rear of this, likewise on the tail	eta Ser
	ὁ ἐπ’ ἄκρας τῆς οὐρᾶς.	The star on the tip of the tail	tet Ser
	ἀστέρες τπ, ὥν γ’ μεγέθους ἓ, δ’ ἱβ, εἱ ἄ.	18 stars, 5 of the third magnitude, 12 of the fourth, I of the fifth

References

• References (general)
• References (Babylonian)
• References (ancient Greco-Roman)
• References (medieval)