Very ancient, the serpent has always been shown as grasped in the hands of Ophiuchus and divided by some catalogues as Serpens Caput (the head) and Serpens Cauda (the tail) on either side of the serpent holder.
This serpent, called the Caduceus, entwined around a staff is the symbol for medicine today, perhaps signifying the shedding of skin and a renewed life or well being.
The ancient biblical interpreters would suggest this constellation was another seducer of Eve. The converted Irish find a cross in the Serpens Caput and call it the cross on the miter of Saint Patrick.
|
| Symbol | Ser |
| Right Ascension |
04:28
|
| Declination | 3 |
| Diameter (°) | 39 |
| Area (square °) | 637 |
| Opposition |
May 30
|
| Size Rank |
23rd
|
| Brightness Rank |
36th
|
| Genitive | Sepentis |
|