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Its story

In the immense Ophiuchus, the serpent bearer, shines a rare red M-type star. Its light set out around 541 years ago, near 1485, when Botticelli painted «The Birth of Venus» and the Florentine Renaissance was at its peak. Far cooler than the Sun yet far larger, its deep red is an emblem of cosmic longevity. Ophiuchus stretches across the ecliptic, crossed by the Sun each November; among its modest stars, this ember-like ancient star burns with patience.