Pisces (constellation)

Pisces is a group of stars in the sky.

It looks like two fish. The fish are joined by a cord. This group is very large. It is the second dimmest group in the zodiac.

You can find a far away galaxy here. It is called the Phantom Galaxy. Some people say the fish saved a goddess. This is why they are in the sky. Can you spot the fish at night?

Pisces is a large group of stars in the sky.

Its name is Latin for "fishes." It looks like two fish joined by a cord.

This group is in the northern part of the sky. It is the second dimmest group in the zodiac. Because the stars are dim, you cannot see them well in big cities.

Many stars live in Pisces. One star is named Alrescha. This name means "the cord." Another star is called Fumalsamakah. This means "mouth of the fish." There is also a special star called Van Maanen's Star. It is a white dwarf. A white dwarf is a very dense, small star. This star is very dim and hard to see.

Deep in space, Pisces holds amazing things. You can find the Phantom Galaxy there.

It is a spiral galaxy. This means it is shaped like a swirl. It is 30 million light-years away. There are also very large objects like 3C 31. This is an active galaxy with huge jets of power. Old stories say fish helped a goddess. This is why they stay in the sky.

Pisces is a large group of stars in the northern sky.

Its name comes from the Latin word for "fishes." In many cultures, it looks like two fish joined together by a single cord.

This group is part of the zodiac. It sits between Aquarius and Aries in the sky. The Sun passes overhead this area during the March equinox. Because the stars are quite dim, it is hard to see them near bright cities.

Many different stars live within this constellation. One star is named Alrescha, which means "the cord." It is about 309.8 light-years away. Another star is called Fumalsamakah, or the "mouth of the fish."

There is also a star called Gamma Piscium. Scientists found a planet orbiting this star in 2021. Some stars in Pisces are very special, like Van Maanen's Star. This is a white dwarf star. It is very dense and small. It is much closer to our Sun than any other solitary white dwarf.

Looking deeper into space reveals amazing objects in Pisces. You can find the M74 galaxy, also called the Phantom Galaxy.

It is a spiral galaxy shaped like a swirl. It is 30 million light-years away from Earth. Pierre Méchain discovered this galaxy in 1780. There is also a very large object called 3C 31. This is an active galaxy located 237 million light-years away. It has huge jets of power coming from a black hole. These jets are some of the largest things in the universe.

People have told many stories about these stars for a long time. In Greek legends, the goddess Aphrodite and her son Eros became fish. They did this to escape a monster named Typhon. In Roman stories, Venus and Cupid were carried by two fish. Another tale says fish helped hatch a goddess from an egg. These fish were rewarded by being placed in the sky. In German folklore, two magical fish granted wishes to a man named Antenteh. These stories help explain why the fishes are in the stars.

Different cultures saw different things in these stars. Ancient people in Mesopotamia called parts of it "the fish cord." In Chinese astronomy, these stars were part of different groups. Some stars formed a "fence" to keep pigs in a marsh. Other stars were part of the "House of the Sandal." In 1690, an astronomer named Johannes Hevelius divided the constellation into four parts. He saw a north fish, a south fish, and two cords. Even though people have seen it differently, the fishes remain a famous part of our sky.

Pisces is a large constellation located in the Northern celestial hemisphere. It is a member of the zodiac, which is a belt of constellations along the ecliptic. The name Pisces is the Latin word for "fishes." This constellation sits between Aquarius to the southwest and Aries to the east. It is a very large area of the sky, but it is also quite dim. In fact, it is the second dimmest of all the zodiac constellations. Because the stars are not very bright, it is difficult to see Pisces near major cities due to light pollution.

The constellation holds a special place in our solar system's relationship with the sky. The celestial equator and the ecliptic intersect within its boundaries. This intersection happens at the first point of Aries and the first point of Libra. During the March equinox, the Sun passes directly overhead of the equator at approximately this point in the sky. Due to a process called precession, the March equinox is currently drifting westward. It is moving from its position south of the star Omega Piscium toward Aquarius.

Many distinct stars inhabit the region of Pisces. Alrescha, also known as Alpha Piscium, acts as "the cord" connecting the fishes. It is a variable binary star located 309.8 light-years away. Another notable star is Fumalsamakah, or Beta Piscium, which is 492 light-years away. Some stars in this constellation are quite unique. For example, Gamma Piscium is a star that hosts a discovered exoplanet. Another star, Zeta Piscium, is a quintuple star system, meaning it contains five stars.

One of the most scientifically significant objects in Pisces is Van Maanen's Star. This is the closest-known solitary white dwarf to our Sun. A white dwarf is a very dense, small star. This star has a mass about 67% of the Sun's, but its radius is only 1% of the Sun's. Its outer atmosphere has a temperature of approximately 6,110 K. Because white dwarfs steadily radiate away their heat, scientists use this temperature to estimate age. This star is thought to be around 3 billion years old. It is too faint to be seen with the naked eye.

Beyond individual stars, Pisces contains massive deep-sky objects. The M74 galaxy, known as the Phantom Galaxy, is a spiral galaxy located 30 million light-years away. It was discovered by the French astronomer Pierre Méchain in 1780. This galaxy features many clusters of young stars and regions of star formation. Another object is the active galaxy 3C 31, located 237 million light-years away. It contains a supermassive black hole at its center. This black hole creates massive jets that extend several million light-years in opposite directions.

Humans have shared many stories about these stars throughout history. In Greco-Roman antiquity, the constellation was seen as two fish joined by a cord. Greek legends suggest Aphrodite and her son Eros transformed into fish to escape the monster Typhon. In Roman versions, Venus and Cupid were carried by two fish to safety. Another myth says fish helped hatch a goddess from an egg in the Euphrates River. These fish were then rewarded by being placed in the heavens.

Different cultures have interpreted these stars in various ways. In ancient Mesopotamia, parts of the constellation were called DU.NU.NU, meaning "the fish cord." In Chinese astronomy, the stars were part of different groups, such as a "fence" called Wai-ping. This fence was meant to keep pigs in a marsh. In 1690, the astronomer Johannes Hevelius divided the constellation into four specific parts. He identified a North Fish, a South Fish, and two cords. While some later proposals tried to add a "Turtle" to the area, they were mostly ignored by other astronomers.