Robert Makemson Guide to Astronomy in Jacksonville

Ophiuchus

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The constellation of Ophiuchus is usually associated with the Greek legend of Asclepius, a physician who was later worshipped as a god of medicine. It is said that Asclepius was so talented at the art of healing that he could bring the dead back to life, a skill that he learned from a snake. Hades, the god of the underworld, worried that he would no longer be needed, convinced Zeus to destroy Asclepius. Zeus struck him down with a thunderbolt, and then placed his image in the sky. The constellation of Ophiuchus can be located immediately above Scorpius. Ophiuchus is an unofficial thirteenth member of the Zodiac, since like the other twelve, the sun, moon, and planets passes through this constellation.