Ophiuchus

[ of-ee-yoo-kuhs, oh-fee- ]

noun

, Astronomy.

, genitive Oph·i·u·chi [of-ee-, yoo, -kahy, oh-fee-].

1. the Serpent Bearer, a constellation on the celestial equator between Libra and Aquila.

Ophiuchus

/ ɒˈfjuːkəs /

noun

1. a large constellation lying on the celestial equator between Hercules and Scorpius and containing the dark nebula, Ophiuchus Nebula

Word History and Origins

Origin of Ophiuchus¹

C17: via Latin from Greek Ophioukhos, from ophis snake + ekhein to hold

Example Sentences

This cloud complex, known as Rho Ophiuchi, is the closest star-forming region to Earth and is found in the sky near the border of the constellations Ophiuchus and Scorpius, the serpent-bearer and scorpion.

From Washington Times

Zeus placed Orion, the scorpion, and Ophiuchus in the sky, but arranged it so that Scorpius and Orion are never in the sky together.

From Washington Post

Not to worry, however: This black hole is 1,600 light-years away, in the constellation Ophiuchus; the next nearest known black hole is about 3,000 light-years away in the constellation Monoceros.

From New York Times

This world — 395 light-years from Earth in the constellation Ophiuchus — is so young that its building blocks of gas and dust are still coming together.

From New York Times

Using this technique, scientists successfully found at least 70 new rogue planets with masses comparable to Jupiter in the Upper Scorpius and Ophiuchus constellation of the Milky Way galaxy.

From Salon