Pisces constellation

Pisces is a constellation of the zodiac situated in the northern celestial hemisphere. Its name, meaning the Fishes in Latin, reflects the traditional depiction of two fish joined by a cord. Although large in area, Pisces is relatively faint, containing only a few stars brighter than fourth magnitude. It lies between Aquarius to the southwest and Aries to the east. The constellation holds particular astronomical importance as the current location of the March equinox, a point that slowly drifts westward due to the precession of the Earth’s axis.

Astronomical Characteristics

Pisces intersects both the ecliptic and the celestial equator, making it one of the key reference locations in celestial mapping. The coordinates for right ascension and declination 0h0m0^{\text h}0^{\text m}0h0m lie within its boundaries. The position of the March equinox — the point at which the Sun crosses the celestial equator from south to north — is presently located in Pisces, though gradually shifting toward Aquarius.
Despite its size, Pisces is among the dimmest zodiac constellations. Light pollution makes many of its stars almost invisible from urban areas. The main asterism traditionally depicts two fish connected by a cord that joins at a central point, a configuration familiar from Greco-Roman star lore.

Notable Stars

Pisces contains several stars of scientific interest, though few are bright to the naked eye.

• Alrescha (Alpha Piscium): A variable binary star of spectral class A2, about 309 light years away, and the brightest point in the constellation with a magnitude of 3.62.
• Fumalsamakah (Beta Piscium): A B-type star of magnitude 4.48 located approximately 492 light years away.
• Delta Piscium: A K-type giant of magnitude 4.44 situated 305 light years from Earth; it is subject to lunar occultations due to its proximity to the ecliptic.
• Epsilon Piscium: A K0 giant at 190 light years, with a possible exoplanet candidate.
• Zeta Piscium (Revati): A quintuple star system, spectral class A7, around 148 light years distant.
• Eta Piscium (Alpherg): A G-type giant with a magnitude of 3.62, known as a Gamma Cassiopeiae variable.
• Omicron Piscium (Torcular): A horizontal branch red giant of spectral type K0, located 258 light years from Earth.
• Theta Piscium: An F-type subgiant or main sequence star about 106 light years away.
• HD 21749–like star (unnamed here): A G8 giant of magnitude 3.70 hosting an exoplanet discovered in 2021.
• van Maanen’s Star: The closest known solitary white dwarf, located just south of Delta Piscium, with high proper motion and a relatively cool temperature of about 6,110 K. Its faintness and proximity make it of particular interest in the study of stellar remnants.

Deep-Sky Objects

Although not rich in bright star clusters, Pisces contains several noteworthy galaxies and galaxy clusters:

• Messier 74 (NGC 628): A face-on Sc spiral galaxy approximately 30 million light years away, noted for its loosely wound structure and numerous star-forming regions. A type II-P supernova was discovered in its outer regions in 2003. It is the brightest member of the M74 Group.
• NGC 488: An isolated spiral galaxy that serves as a prototypical example of its class, with two observed supernovae.
• NGC 520: A striking galaxy pair in the process of collision, roughly 105 million light years away.
• CL 0024+1654: A massive galaxy cluster producing strong gravitational lensing, forming arc-shaped images of more distant galaxies.
• 3C 31: A radio galaxy in Perseus, exhibiting vast jets driven by a central supermassive black hole; although formally located in a neighbouring constellation, it is typically studied alongside Piscean deep-sky objects due to its proximity.

Historical Background and Mythology

Pisces traces its origins to ancient Mesopotamian sky traditions. Elements of the modern constellation relate to the Babylonian figures of the Great Swallow and Annunitum, the Lady of Heaven. Another name found in first-millennium BCE astronomical diaries is Rikis-nūmi, the fish cord or ribbon.
In Greek mythology, Pisces is associated with the myth in which Aphrodite and her son Eros fled the monster Typhon by plunging into the Euphrates and transforming into fishes, or by being rescued by a pair of fishes. Roman accounts replace the deities with Venus and Cupid. Hyginus also recorded a variant in which fishes rescued an egg from which Aphrodite — in her Syrian Goddess form — later hatched.
Medieval and early modern astronomers expanded on these traditions. Johannes Hevelius, in his Firmamentum Sobiescianum (1690), divided Pisces into four components: the North Fish, the North Cord, the South Cord and the South Fish. Later proposals, such as John Hill’s suggestion of a southern subdivision named Testudo (the Turtle), were not widely adopted and eventually abandoned.

Folklore and Cultural Interpretations

In German folklore, the Fishes appear in tales of Antenteh, a man granted wishes by magical fish, a story which resonates with later fairy-tale motifs. The Great Square of Pegasus is sometimes associated with the tub from these stories.
In Chinese astronomy, stars from Pisces formed part of several distinct asterisms. The group known as Waiping, the Outer Enclosure, served as a symbolic fence surrounding marshland, represented by stars from neighbouring Cetus. Portions of Pisces also formed part of the House of the Sandal, Kouisiou.