Anza-Borrego Desert Natural History Association

By Dennis Mammana Week of July 5-11, 2026 There's a constellation in our night sky right now that is somewhat unknown to stargazers. Despite being huge — it's the 11th-largest in all the heavens — it has no stars brighter than the North Star, so you won't find it easily without a pretty dark sky. Its name is Ophiuchus (oh-fee-YOU-kuhs), and if you'd like to find it this month, you'll need to get away from the city lights and gaze midway up in the southeast shortly after dark. Ophiuchus (the serpent-bearer) represents Aesculapiu, the ancient Greco-Roman god of medicine, healing and physicians, and its brightest star is named Rasalhague, which is Arabic for "Head of the Snake Charmer." Draped from one side of Ophiuchus to the other lies Serpens — the only two-part constellation in the heavens — with its head on one side (Serpens Caput) and its tail on the other (Serpens Cauda). I admit that it requires quite an imagination to find these star groupings, but once you do, you'll know them forever. In fact, you may even recognize this shape, especially if you've ever searched online for the name of a physician. Quite often, you'll find the image of two serpents wrapped around a vertical staff that appears topped by a round knob and is flanked by wings. It's known as the "caduceus," and since 1902, when the U.S. Army adopted it as the insignia of its Medical Corps, it has been the familiar emblem of the American medical profession. Many medical associations — including the World Health Organization — use what some consider to be the "correct" and traditional symbol of medicine: the staff of Asclepius, with a single serpent encircling a staff. Either way, people have long associated the serpent with medicine. Once you find its stars, you'll see that Ophiuchus lies along some of the thickest star clouds of the Milky Way. If you've managed to get yourself to a rural location with a non-light-polluted sky, you'll have little trouble finding the hazy band of the Milky Way passing near this constellation, along with the bright reddish-orange star Antares (the heart of Scorpius, the scorpion) just to its lower right. Be sure to take binoculars with you so you can scan this celestial region. Here you'll find countless "faint fuzzies" (as amateur astronomers affectionately call deep-sky objects). Many of these are star clusters — collections of dozens, hundreds or even thousands of stars held together by gravitation — and interstellar nebulae, where stars and planetary systems are constantly forming. Now, while you're gazing at the stars of Ophiuchus, here's a little tidbit to wrap your head around: This constellation is not one of the official signs of the zodiac, but it should be. Why, you ask? Because the sun spends three times as many days in front of the stars of Ophiuchus as it does in Scorpius. So why, then, is this constellation missing from the official zodiacal signs in horoscope tables? Your guess is as good as mine. Just remember, if you were born between Nov. 29 and Dec. 17, you're not a "Scorpio" or "Sagittarius," as you might have thought. You're actually an Ophiuchan! Make of that what you will... Visit Dennis Mammana at dennismammana.com. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com . Learn More About Borrego Springs