44Serpens, The Serpent
NAME: Serpens (SUR-penz)
SEASON: Late spring
CULMINATION: midnight, 3 June
ABBREVIATION: Ser
GENITIVE: Serpentis (sur-PEN-tis)
NEIGHBORS: Aql, Boo, CrB, Her, Lib, Oph, Sct, Sgr, Vir
BINOCULAR OBJECTS: NGC 5904 (M 5), NGC 6611 (M 16), IC 4756
URBAN OBJECTS: NGC 5904 (M 5), IC 4756
Serpens is a large, relatively dim equatorial constellation that ranks 23rd in size among the 88 constellations. Serpens covers 637 square degrees of the celestial sphere, or about 1.5%. Its brightest stars are third magnitude, and it has only two of those. Serpens is unique among the constellations in not being contiguous. Serpens Caput (the Head of the Serpent) lies to the northwest and Serpens Cauda (the Tail of the Serpent) to the southeast ...
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