Ophiuchus is a constellation situated within the northern hemisphere. Its title is derived from the Greek phrase “” (phis), which means “serpent”, and “” (oukhos), which means “holder”. Ophiuchus is depicted as a person holding a serpent, and is usually related to the parable of Asclepius, the Greek god of therapeutic.
Ophiuchus is the thirteenth largest constellation within the sky, and is bordered by the constellations of Serpens, Hercules, Lyra, Aquila, Sagittarius, and Scorpius. The constellation comprises a number of notable stars, together with Alpha Ophiuchi, which is a purple large star, and Beta Ophiuchi, which is a blue-white fundamental sequence star. Ophiuchus additionally comprises a number of deep-sky objects, together with the globular cluster M9 and the planetary nebula NGC 6302.
