hip-79137

Its story

In Serpens, the only constellation split in two parts —head and tail— by the figure of Ophiuchus, shines an orange K-type star a mere 92 light-years away. Its light set out at the dawn of the twentieth century, when Marie Curie was discovering radioactivity and the cinematograph was taking its first steps. Cooler than the Sun yet a close neighbour, its coppery glow winds among the luminous scales of the celestial reptile.