CLASSICAL STAR ATLASES

BAYER'S OPHIUCHUS AND SERPENS

Ophiuchus (the Serpent Bearer) and Serpens (the Serpent) from Bayer's Uranometria of 1603. Ophiuchus, while not part of the classical Zodiac, neverthless spans the ecliptic (the dashed line near bottom) and the broad dark band that shows the region in which the Moon and planets can be found. Rasalhague (Alpha Ophiuchi) marks the Serpent Bearer's head, while the star at the head of Hercules (Rasalgethi) is just up and to the right.

Courtesy of the Rare Book Room and Special Collections Library of the University of Illinois