Serpens is a constellation in the northern celestial hemisphere. One of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy, it remains one of the 88 modern constellations designated by the International Astronomical Union. It is unique among the modern constellations in being split into two non-contiguous parts, Serpens Caput to the west and Serpens Cauda to the east. Between these two halves lies the constellation of Ophiuchus, the "Serpent-Bearer". In figurative representations, the body of the serpent is represented as passing behind Ophiuchus between Mu Serpentis in Serpens Caput and Nu Serpentis in Serpens Cauda.
40 Eridani is a triple star system in the constellation of Eridanus, abbreviated 40 Eri. It has the Bayer designation Omicron2 Eridani, which is Latinized from ο2 Eridani and abbreviated Omicron2 Eri or ο2 Eri. Based on parallax measurements taken by the Gaia mission, it is about 16.3 light-years from the Sun.
Groombridge 34 is a binary star system in the northern constellation of Andromeda. It was listed as entry number 34 in A Catalogue of Circumpolar Stars, published posthumously in 1838 by British astronomer Stephen Groombridge. Based upon parallax measurements taken by the Gaia spacecraft, the system is located about 11.6 light-years from the Sun. This positions the pair among the nearest stars to the Solar System.
Nu¹ Sagittarii is a triple star system about 1,100 light-years from Earth. Its three components are designated Nu¹ Sagittarii A, B and C. A and B themselves form a spectroscopic binary. The system is 0.11 degree north of the ecliptic.
Xi Serpentis, Latinized from ξ Serpentis, is a triple star system in the Serpens Cauda (tail) section of the equatorial constellation Serpens. Based upon an annual parallax shift of 30.98 mas as seen from Earth, it is located 105.3 light years from the Sun. The star system is visible to the naked eye with a base apparent visual magnitude of +3.54. It is moving closer to the Sun and will make perihelion passage at a distance of 27 ly (8.2 pc) in around 690,000 years.
Delta Serpentis, Latinized from δ Serpentis, is a binary star system in the constellation Serpens, in its head. The light from the two stars in the system give a combined apparent magnitude of +3.80, which is bright enough to be visible to the naked eye. Based on parallax measurements, it is located at a distance of approximately 230 light years from the Sun. The system is moving closer with a radial velocity of ~42 km/s, and may come to within 115 light-years in 1.2 million years.
Lambda1 Tucanae is the Bayer designation for one member of a pair of stars sharing a common proper motion through space, which lie within the southern constellation of Tucana. As of 2013, the pair had an angular separation of 20.0 arc seconds along a position angle of 82°. Together, they are barely visible to the naked eye with a combined apparent visual magnitude of 6.21. Based upon an annual parallax shift for both stars of approximately 16.5 mas as seen from Earth, this system is located roughly 198 light years from the Sun.
28 Cancri is a star system in the zodiac constellation of Cancer. It is a variable star with the designation CX Cancri, and is close to the lower limit of visibility with the naked eye, having a mean apparent visual magnitude of 6.05. The annual parallax shift seen from Earth's orbit is 8.5 mas, which provides a distance estimate of about 384 light years. It is moving away from the Sun with a radial velocity of around +9 km/s.
HD 3346, also known as V428 Andromedae, is a binary star system in the northern constellation of Andromeda. It is a dim star but visible to the naked eye under suitable viewing conditions, having an apparent visual magnitude of 5.14. The distance to HD 3346 can be determined from its annual parallax shift of 4.95 mas. This yields a range of about 660 light year. At that distance the brightness of the system is diminished by an extinction of 0.16 magnitude due to interstellar dust. It is moving closer to the Earth with a heliocentric radial velocity of −33 km/s.
HD 225218 is a quadruple star system in the northern constellation of Andromeda. The primary component, HD 225218 A, is a giant star with a stellar classification of B9III, an apparent magnitude of 6.16, and is a candidate Lambda Boötis star. It has a fainter, magnitude 9.65 companion, HD 225218 B, at an angular separation of 5.2″ along a position angle of 171°. The primary itself has been identified as a binary star system through interferometry, with the two components separated by 0.165″. The pair, HD 225218 Aa and Ab, orbit each other with a period of about 70 years and an eccentricity of 0.515. Component B is likewise a spectroscopic binary.
S Monocerotis, also known as 15 Monocerotis, is a massive multiple and variable star system located in the constellation Monoceros. It is the brightest star in the Christmas Tree open cluster in the area catalogued as NGC 2264.
1 Serpentis is a red giant in the constellation Virgo with an apparent magnitude of 5.5. It is a red clump giant, a cool horizontal branch star that is fusing helium in its core. It has expanded to over 13 times the radius of the Sun and although it is cooler at 4,581 K it is 77 times more luminous. It is 322 light years away.
25 Serpentis is a star system in the constellation of Serpens Caput. With an apparent magnitude of 5.37, it is just barely visible to the naked eye. The system is estimated to be some 450 light-years based on its parallax.
36 Serpentis is a binary star system in the equatorial constellation of Serpens. It has the Bayer designation b Serpentis, while 36 Serpentis is the Flamsteed designation. The system is visible to the naked eye as a dim, white-hued point of light with a combined apparent visual magnitude of 5.09. It is located 162 light years away from the Sun based on parallax, and is moving closer with a radial velocity of −8 km/s.
NSVS 14256825, also known as V1828 Aquilae, is an eclipsing binary system in the constellation of Aquila. The system comprises a subdwarf OB star and red dwarf star. The two stars orbit each other every 2.648976 hours. Based on the stellar parallax of the system, observed by Gaia, the system is located approximately 2,700 light-years away.
WR 12 is a spectroscopic binary in the constellation Vela. It is an eclipsing binary consisting of a Wolf-Rayet star and a luminous companion of unknown spectral type. The primary is one of the most luminous stars known.
XZ Andromedae is a binary star in the constellation Andromeda. Its maximum apparent visual magnitude is 9.91, but drops down to 12.45 every 1.357 days. Its variability matches the behaviour of Algol variable stars.
AB Andromedae is a binary star in the constellation Andromeda. Its maximum apparent visual magnitude is 9.49 but shows a variation in brightness down to a magnitude of 10.46 in a periodic cycle of roughly 8 hours. The observed variability is typical of W Ursae Majoris variable stars, so the two stars in this system form a contact binary.
TX Ursae Majoris is an eclipsing binary star system in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Major. With a combined apparent visual magnitude of 6.97, the system is too faint to be readily viewed with the naked eye. The pair orbit each other with a period of 3.063 days in a circular orbit, with their orbital plane aligned close to the line of sight from the Earth. During the primary eclipse, the net brightness decreases by 1.74 magnitudes, while the secondary eclipse results in a drop of just 0.07 magnitude. TX UMa is located at a distance of approximately 780 light years from the Sun based on parallax measurements, but is drifting closer with a mean radial velocity of −13 km/s.
RS Sagittarii is an eclipsing binary star system in the southern constellation of Sagittarius, abbreviated RS Sgr. It is a double-lined spectroscopic binary with an orbital period of 2.416 days, indicating that the components are too close to each other to be individually resolved. The system has a combined apparent visual magnitude of 6.01, which is bright enough to be faintly visible to the naked eye. During the primary eclipse the brightness drops to magnitude 6.97, while the secondary eclipse is of magnitude 6.28. The distance to this system is approximately 1,420 light years based on parallax measurements.
