XI SER (Xi Serpentis). In spite of its lowly standing among the letters of the Greek alphabet, Xi Serpentis (no proper name) is among the brighter stars of the constellation, and lies just to the east of where the tail of the Serpent (Serpens Cauda, ...
[7782] xi Serpentis is another multiple star, about 105 light-years distant. It is also known as Nehushtan, a name that refers to Moses' bronze serpent.
03 6561 xi SER 17 37 35.1 -15 23 55 F0IVSct 3.54 0.26 6581 omicron SER 17 41 24.8 -12 52 31 A2V 4.26 0.08 5972 pi SER 16 2 17.7 +22 48 16 A3V 4.83 0.07 5899 rho SER 15 51 15.8 +20 58 40 K4-5III 4.76 1.54 6093 sigma SER 16 22 4.3 + 1 1 45 F0V 4.82 0.
The cluster is fifteen degrees south of eta Serpentis, but an easier way to find it may be to draw a line from eta Serpentis to xi Serpentis, to the SW. Now midway along that line is found the bright star nu Ophiuchi.
See also: Serpens, Delta, Star, Gamma Ser, Ophiuchus
 
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