Ophiuchus: The 13th Zodiac or just a Constellation?

You must be wondering who this Ophiuchus character is? Intrigued? I know it isn’t something you are used to hearing. Let me tell you, Ophiuchus is the claimed thirteenth zodiac sign. You read that right. There is another zodiac sign you had no knowledge of. But is it really a lost and forgotten zodiac sign? Or is it just another constellation in the starry heavens? 

And if you are born between November 29th to December 17th, make sure you don’t miss this! 

The story of Ophiuchus: Those who are fans of Greek mythology might have some idea about this. Ophiuchus is also known as the Serpent Bearer. He is also closely associated with Aescupalius, the greek healer. The story goes like this: The god Apollo courted Coronis and got her pregnant. As if sensing some misfortune in the future, Apollo left a white crow to watch her. And as fate would have it, Coronis fell in love with a mortal Ischys. When the crow reported her infidelity, Apollo was so furious. Artemis, Apollo’s huntress sister, was so furious with Coronis that she slew her. Apollo managed to save his unborn son, name him Aesculapius and took him to Chiron, the extremely wise centaur. The centaur taught Aescupalius the art of medicine. Fearing his medicinal prowess, Hades revolted and complained to Zeus. Having no choice, Zeus sentenced the poor man to death and made him a resident of the heavens above. 

Constellations and Zodiacs, a simple difference: To start with, we should know the difference between the Zodiacs and the constellations. The signs of the zodiacs are ecliptic divisions and they are twelve-fold. Considered to be of equal sizes, they are aligned with the sun and the seasons. Constellations, on the other hand, are unequal in size and are connected with the positions of the stars. Hence, it can be said that the zodiac constellations have minimal connections to the actual signs.

Ophiuchus as a constellation: Ophiucus is a very large constellation in the celestial equator. It is most commonly represented by a man holding a snake. It was first listed by the 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy. Known as Serpentarius during the early ages, it still remains a modern constellation. It lies towards the northwest of the Milkyway. It is located snuggly between Scorpius (to the west) and Sagittarius (to the east). Ophiuchus, sadly, is a resident of the day time sky and hence isn’t visible at most latitudes. Except for during the winters at the Arctic circle. You can see some parts of this constellation for a few hours.

Can Ophiuchus be considered a Zodiac? 

According to many renowned astrologers, considering Ophiuchus to be a “lost” zodiac sign is foolish. There are many reasons for this, too many to even go through honestly. Some include the different branches of astrology, whereas some just don’t wish to evolve from the old system. The reason that made the most sense to me was that adding Ophiuchus to our zodiac circle would be a mathematical conundrum as the number 13 will not divide 360 (angle of the circle). So to avoid any complications, let’s just stick to the old system and let the experts of astronomy and astrology take care of the details.

Well, I hope that was interesting for you because it sure was for me. To believe in the existence of a 13th sign or not, is up to you. But no one can stop you from borrowing the healing Ophiuchus energy ever. 

So are you an Ophiuchus?

Let us know in the comments!