Ras Alhague
Alpha Ophiuchi · Ophiuchus
Position (2026)
♐ 22°49' Sagittarius
Magnitude
2.08
Planetary Nature
Saturn / Venus (robson)
Spectral Type
A5III
Ras Alhague in Astrology
Ras Alhague, the head of Ophiuchus the Serpent Bearer, carries Saturn-Venus energy that bestows healing wisdom, medical aptitude, and the capacity for working with powerful transformative forces under disciplined conditions. It grants the native a talent for medicine, pharmacology, or any healing art that requires knowledge of both remedy and risk.
Mythology & History
Ras Alhague, or Alpha Ophiuchi, derives from the Arabic Ra's al-Hawwa, meaning 'the head of the serpent collector' or 'the head of the serpent charmer.' As the brightest star in Ophiuchus, it represents the mind and intellect of Asclepius, the divine healer whose skill became so great that he could raise the dead. This alarmed Hades, who complained to Zeus that Asclepius was depopulating the underworld, and Zeus killed the healer with a thunderbolt but honored him with a place among the stars. Ras Alhague thus carries associations with healing genius that transgresses natural boundaries.
Ophiuchus Context
Ras Alhague marks the head of Ophiuchus, the Serpent Bearer, sitting at the top of the constellation figure. Ophiuchus occupies a large region of sky between Hercules above and Scorpius below, straddling the ecliptic in a position that has generated considerable popular interest due to the so-called thirteenth zodiac sign debate. The constellation's identification with Asclepius gives its alpha star associations with the highest expression of medical art: the understanding of life and death, the manipulation of natural forces for healing, and the ethical boundaries of that power.
Notable Charts
Albert Schweitzer
Mercury conjunct Ras Alhague
The physician-philosopher whose healing mission in Africa embodied Ras Alhague's themes of medical dedication and boundary-transcending compassion
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