Constellation tour in Summer
Serpens & Ophiuchus


Date & Time: May 4 2000, 28:04 JST(+0900), 23min. Exp.
Optical: SMC TAKUMAR f=55mm F3.5, Aperture: F4.8, with Cokin Diffuser-1 filter
Auto-guided with Kenko SKYMEMO Equatorial
Camera: PENTAX 67
Film: Ektachrome E200 (+1EV pushed)
Location: Kita-ibaraki city, Ibaraki pref.




ASCII/Astroarts StellaNavigator 		Serpens-Ophiuchus group occupies a very large celestial field in the West Side of the Milky Way. The Serpent is being grasped in the hands of Ophiuchus, the constellation wraps around Ophiuchus and is divided into two parts; Serpens Caput (head) and Serpens Cauda (tail).
The constellation of Ophiuchus represents Asclepius who was a skilled surgeon. He carries serpent because it had been regarded as a symbol of health in the ancient Greece.
Ophiuchus is the only constellation that the sun enters but which is not a part of the zodiac, because the southern area of Ophiuchus was that of Scorpius formerly.
The Serpens Cauda is bathed in the Milky Way, so it includes many nebulae and star clusters, and some novae have appeared around this field. In 1604, a supernova with a magnitude of about -2.5 appeared just southwest of theta Ophiuchi, marks right leg of Ophiuchus. The supernova is known as "The Kepler's supernova", and we have only three records of supernova appeared in the Galaxy including this one.



Guide for Deep Sky Objects

M5 .....Spectacular globular cluster in east of Serpens Caput, 27,000 ly away
M9 .....Small globular cluster 3.5 deg. SW of eta Oph., 26,000 ly away
M10 .....A globular cluster in the body of Ophiuchus, 16 thousand ly away
M12 .....A sparse globular cluster 3.5 deg. NW of M10, 19 thousand ly away
M14 .....A globular cluster in east of Ophiuchus, 23 thousand ly away
Eagle Nebula(M16) .....Diffused nebula & open cluster in Milky Way of Serens Cauda, 4600 ly away
M19 .....Ophiuchus's globular cluster 7.5 deg east of Antares, 22,000 ly away
M62 .....A globular cluster almost on the boundary of Oph & Sco, 22,000 ly away
M107 .....Small globular cluster south of zeta Oph, 56 thousand ly away
NGC5921 .....Small bared galaxy in center of Serpent Caput
Seyfert's Sextet .....Compact galaxy group in tip of Serpent's head
NGC6118 .....Small spiral galaxy in SE edge of Sepent Caput
NGC6309 .....Compact planetary nebula 3 deg. north from eta Oph
NGC6366 .....Sparse globular cluster in pentagon of Ophiuchus
NGC6572 .....Small round planetary nebula in eastern region, 2470 ly away
IC4665 .....Sparse open cluster around a degree north of beta Oph, 990 ly away
IC4756, NGC6633 .....Two large open clusters extending over Ser Cauda & Oph
Snake Nebula .....Unique dark nebula floating in the Milky Way just north of sita Oph
Pipe Nebula .....Huge patch in the Milky Way about 7 deg. long
Vast nebula around zeta Oph .....A dimmed & vast diffused nebula with a diameter of over 10 deg
Sh2-54 .....Large & dimmed nebula just north of Eagle Nebula(M16)
Hoag's Object .....Very dimmed ringed-galaxy in northern edge of Serpens Caput




Hercules
Corona Borealis

Copyright(c) 2000 by Naoyuki Kurita, All rights reserved.
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