Starwatch: watch out for a man holding a snake

Now is the chance to find Ophiuchus, which some view as the 13th sign of the zodiac

This time of year offers the opportunity to track down the large but faint constellation of Ophiuchus, the serpent bearer - literally a man holding a snake. One of the original 48 constellations listed by Ptolemy in the second century, there is no definitive association between the constellation and a myth, but several have been suggested. It could be Apollo grappling with the serpent that guarded the oracle of Delphi; or Apollo's son Asclepius, who witnessed one serpent heal another by feeding it herbs; or maybe Laocoon, who was slain by sea serpents after he tried to warn the Trojans that the famous horse was a trap.