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Ophiuchus

OBSERVER:	Ola Karlsson
COMPOSER:	Ola Karlsson
DATE:	4 April 2014
POSITION:	AZ: 150 00 00 ALT: 20 00 00
EXPOSURE TIME:	9x15s, combined

Ophiuchus is a constellation on the celestial equator but stretches far enough into the southern sky to have the ecliptic crossing through it. In greek mythology Ophiuchus represents Apollo but it has also been connected to the story of the Trojan war. The snake is divided into two parts Serpens Cauda, and Serpens Caput. Although the ecliptic passes through the constellation, even more so than through Scorpio, it is not considered a zodiac constellation. Most of the constellation is above the horizon in Sweden for some seven hours. Despite of this it is not a convenient constellation to view. The best conditions in Sweden is at the morning side during spring. Ophiuchus is the host of a number of globular clusters. M10, M12, M107, and M14 can be clearly seen, and M9 barely. A part of Milky Ways central bulge is also within Ophiuchus. This image is taken to the SSE.

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