• The faint constellation Ophiuchus the Serpent Bearer appears in the southern sky at nightfall and early evening, and descends into the southwest sky as evening deepens into late night. However, Ophiuchus may be hard to see in tonight's moonlight glare. If so, try your luck at the end of the first week in August, when the moon drops out of the early evening sky.
• Look for Ophiuchus above the bright ruddy star Antares, the brightest in the constellation Scorpius the Scorpion. Ophiuchus' brightest star - called Rasalhague - highlights the head of Ophiu

chus and is nowhere as bright as Antares, the star that depicts the Scorpion's beating heart. Ophiuchus will continue to be visible in the south to southwest sky (above Antares) on August and September evenings.
• Ophiuchus is sometimes called the "13th" or "forgotten" constellation of the Zodiac. The sun passes in front of Ophiuchus from about November 29 to December 17. And yet no one ever says they're born when the sun is in Ophiuchus. That's because Ophiuchus is a constellation - not a sign - of the Zodiac.
• What is the ecliptic?
• On sky maps, Ophiuchus the Serpent Bearer is depicted as holding Serpens the Serpent, which is considered a separate constellation. According to ancient Greek star lore, Ophiuchus is Asclepius, the physician who concocted a healing potion from the Serpent's venom, mixing it with the Gorgon's blood and an unknown herb. This potion gave humans access to immortality, until the god of the underworld appealed to Zeus to reconsider the ramifications of the death of death.

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