What ⛎ means
A capital 'U' with a wave-like small curve connecting both extensions of the alphabet at the middle. This symbol seems to be engraved in white onto the top surface of a purple square.
The ⛎ Ophiuchus emoji refers to the thirteenth zodiac sign that's rarely used in the popular list of astrological signs. This emoji signifies the zodiac symbol of a serpent-bearer. Hence, suggesting a sense of 'having a grip on poison/harm/danger'.
How and when to use it
- Since the 13th zodiac is not as well-known as the list of 12, ⛎ may not be brought into contexts of astrology or horoscope. But, it can be used in mythological and mythical frameworks, based on the symbol.
- Based on the Greek myth, Ophiuphus has a close relation to Asclepius; the god of medicine and healing. So, while sharing 'healing' based posts from a spiritual perspective or a medicinal POV, include ⛎ - "Healing comes from within ⛎" or "Meditation is my medication ⛎".
- Ophiuchus, if considered a zodiac, is merged in between Scorpio and Sagittarius (which doesn't appear in astrological calendars). Hence, ⛎ may symbolize a 'cusp' if not an actual and verified zodiac sign.
- A few examples for the previous point are - "Really? I thought she was a Gemini cusp ⛎" or "I seem to be grasping the best qualities from both Capricorn and Aquarius ⛎"
Other Names
- ⛎ Thirteenth Zodiac Constellation
- ⛎ Ophiuchus Zodiac
- ⛎ The Snake Bearer
- ⛎ Serpent Bearer
- ⛎ Serpentarius
- ⛎ God of Medicine
- ⛎ Healing
- ⛎ Asclepius
⛎ in real conversations
Is ⛎ a real 13th zodiac sign?
Astronomically, yes in one sense — the sun's actual path, the ecliptic, does pass through the constellation Ophiuchus for roughly three weeks each year, alongside the twelve constellations astrology's signs are named after. Astrologically, no — the Babylonians who built the 12-sign zodiac roughly 3,000 years ago knew about that thirteenth constellation and left it out on purpose, to keep a clean 12-month system. ⛎ marks that history rather than a genuine 13th sign in everyday horoscope use.
Did NASA add a 13th zodiac sign?
No, and NASA has said so directly. A 2016 NASA education post explaining how Earth's axis has drifted since the Babylonians set the zodiac went viral as "NASA changed your sign," which the agency then corrected on its own account: "we didn't change any zodiac signs, we just did the math." NASA studies astronomy, not astrology, and nobody's sign moved because of anything it published.
Where do ⛎'s official boundaries come from?
From the International Astronomical Union, which drew fixed borders around all 88 constellations, Ophiuchus included, and published the results in 1930 based on the Belgian astronomer Eugène Delporte's chart work. Those boundaries are why astronomers can point to the sun spending roughly three weeks inside Ophiuchus each year, from about late November into mid-December. Astrology's twelve signs never adopted those official constellation lines, which is exactly where the two systems stop agreeing.
The lowdown
- Category
- Symbols › zodiac
- Codepoints
U+26CE- Emoji version
- Emoji 0.6
- Shortcodes
:ophiuchus:- Keywords
- bearer, Ophiuchus, serpent, snake, zodiac
How it looks across platforms
Seeing a blank box instead of the emoji somewhere? Here's why that happens. Curious why the designs above don't match to begin with? Here's why that happens too.
⚡ Quick round
Which joined the keyboard first — ⛎ Ophiuchus or 👩🦲 Woman: Bald?
Runs with a crowd
⛎ keeps company in zodiac emojis — tap-to-copy sets for when one emoji isn't enough.