Rise well before sunrise Sunday morning and you’ll see the gibbous moon appearing high in the south, near the bright ringed-planet Saturn. The two are in the zodiacal constellation Scorpius, just south of the constellation Ophiuchus.

Who has ever heard of Ophiuchus? The constellation certainly is the least known and hardest to pronounce.

Easter morning both Saturn and the Moon are next door to this large nondescript area of the sky. In mythology Ophiuchus holds the serpent. It is a complicated story to tell. But remember that wonderful illustration of medicine, depicting a serpent wrapped around itself? Well Ophiuchus is the character capable of holding that serpent.

Even better, one of the closest stars to the Earth resides in the constellation Ophiuchus. Barnard’s Star is a small star only six light years away from us. It is the fourth closest star to us, beyond our sun. It is faint, too dim to see without a telescope.

If you are up early Easter morning and for the week ahead, look to the east. The bright planet Venus hugs close to the horizon. It rises in the east well before the sun.