Serpens

American  

[sur-puhnz, -penz] / ˈsɜr pənz, -pɛnz /

noun

Astronomy.

genitive

Serpentis

1. the Serpent, a constellation consisting of two separate parts, the head Serpens Caput and the tail Serpens Cauda, with Ophiuchus in between.

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Serpens British  

/ ˈsɜːpənz /

noun

1. a faint extensive constellation situated in the N and S equatorial regions and divided into two parts, Serpens Caput (the head) lying between Ophiuchus and Boötes and Serpens Cauda (the tail) between Ophiuchus and Aquila

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Etymology

Origin of Serpens

< Latin serpēns serpent, originally present participle of serpere to creep, crawl; cognate with Greek hérpēs ( herpes, herpetology )

Example Sentences

The pillars are enormous formations of interstellar gas and dust in a star-forming region of the Eagle Nebula in the Serpens constellation, thousands of light years from Earth.

From Salon • Dec. 10, 2024

With a normal earthbound telescope, one can only see the Serpens constellation in the northern part of the celestial hemisphere.

From Salon • Oct. 8, 2024

Located in the Eagle Nebula, which is part of the constellation Serpens, the Pillars of Creation are famous due to an iconic 1995 photograph shot by one of JSWT's predecessors, the Hubble Space Telescope.

From Salon • Oct. 20, 2022

The Eagle Nebula is about 6,500 light-years from Earth and is in the constellation Serpens, from the ancient Greek word for “serpent.”

From New York Times • Oct. 19, 2022

Out of my Latin name Johannes Keplerus came that sinister phrase Serpens in akuleo.

From Watchers of the Sky by Noyes, Alfred