Pisces is one of the largest constellations in the sky. It is one of the zodiac constellations , first catalogued by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the 2nd century. Pisces lies between Aries constellation to the east and Aquarius to the west. The two celestial fish represent Venus and Cupid in Roman mythology, who transformed themselves into fish in order to escape the monster Typhon.
The Vernal equinox, the point at which the Sun moves to the northern hemisphere across the equator every year, is currently located in Pisces. Pisces constellation also contains a number of interesting deep sky objects, among them the face-on grand design spiral galaxy Messier 74 NGC , the Pisces Dwarf galaxy, the double radio galaxy 3C 31, and the colliding galaxy pair Arp Pisces is the 14th constellation in size, occupying an area of square degrees.
It is one of the 15 equatorial constellations. Pisces contains a single Messier object, the spiral galaxy Messier 74 M74, NGC and has ten stars with known planets. The brightest star in the constellation is Eta Piscium, with an apparent magnitude of 3. There is one meteor shower associated with the constellation; the Piscids. Pisces contains nine named stars. Pisces constellation is of Babylonian origin. The Babylonians saw it as a pair of fish joined by a cord.
The constellation is usually associated with the Roman myth of Venus and Cupid, who tied themselves with a rope and transformed into fish to escape the monster Typhon. The constellation is associated with a similar story in Greek mythology.
After the Olympian gods had defeated the Titans and the Giants, Gaia, or Mother Earth, coupled with Tartarus, the region of the Underworld where Zeus held the Titans imprisoned, and they had Typhon, the scariest monster the world had ever seen.
Gaia sent Typhon to defeat the gods. Pan was the first to see him coming. He alerted the other gods and then transformed himself into a goat-fish and jumped into the river Euphrates to escape the monster. The goat-fish is represented by the constellation Capricornus. The goddess Aphrodite and her son Eros called to the water nymphs for help and jumped into the river.
In one version of the legend, two fishes came to the rescue and carried Aphrodite and Eros on their backs to safety. In another version, the mother and son were themselves transformed into fish. Eta Piscium is the brightest star in Pisces. It lies approximately light years away. It is a yellow giant of the spectral type G7 IIIa with a mass of about 3.
With an effective temperature of 4, K, Alpherg is times more luminous than the Sun. It has an estimated age of million years. The star has an apparent magnitude of 3. It forms a binary system with a fainter, magnitude 7. The system has a combined visual magnitude of 3. Eta Piscium also has an older traditional name, Kullat Nunu. It is the second brightest star in Pisces.
It has an apparent magnitude of 3. The star is ten times the size of the Sun and 61 times more luminous. It is believed to be about 5. The star is part of an asterism called the Circlet of Pisces, which represents the head of the western fish in Pisces constellation.
The star moves three quarters of an arc second across the sky every year. Omega Piscium is a yellow-white subgiant star with the stellar classification of F4IV. It has an apparent magnitude of 4. It is the first star to the east of the Circlet of Pisces. The star is suspected to be a close binary system.
If it is a single star, it is 1. Iota Piscium is a yellow-white dwarf with the stellar classification of F7 V. It is larger and more luminous than the Sun. In the Almagest , the star was listed with the proper name Torcularis septentrionalis. Alpha Piscium is a close binary star with components separated by 1. The primary star belongs to the spectral class A0p and has a visual magnitude of 4.
The stars orbit each other with a period of over years. The primary star has 2. Alpha Piscium has a combined apparent magnitude of 3. Epsilon Piscium is an orange giant star belonging to the stellar class K0 III, slightly larger and more luminous than the Sun.
The star is a suspected occultation double, composed of two stars with the same magnitude separated by 0. Theta Piscium has the stellar classification of K1 III, which means that the star is another orange giant.
The Pisces constellation can be seen from August to January in the Northern hemisphere. In the Southern hemisphere, Pisces will appear upside down compared to how it appears in the Northern hemisphere, and it can be spotted in the Spring months. Although the ancient Babylonians associated the Pisces with a swallow bird, the constellation is recognized for over 3, years.
Even though Pisces is a large constellation, it is also a faint one with no bright stars. The constellation can be fully viewed in areas away from light pollution. They were the ones who saw the pair of fish joined by a cord. Pisces Constellation Facts For Kids The Pisces Constellation is the 14th largest constellation in the sky, covering approximately square degrees.
Keep reading for more interesting facts perfect for kids. It is the 14 th largest constellation in the sky, covering approximately square degrees. This constellation represents the mythical fish that appeared in the story of Aphrodite and her son Eros.
They were saved from the monster Typhon by two fishes. Its name comes from Latin, and it literally translates to "fish. The Piscids are the only meteor shower associated with Pisces.
The brightest star in Pisces is Alpherg, an evolved giant star. It is designated as Eta Piscium, and it has an apparent magnitude of 3.
In Pisces, thirteen stars have been confirmed to host planets. Van Maanen's star is a white dwarf, one of the closest to our Solar System. It is located at only 14 light-years away. The best time to observe the constellation of Pisces and all of its components is during November.
This is when it is prominent in the sky. Two other zodiac constellations are situated near Pisces, namely Aquarius and Aries. The Pisces Constellation for Kids Pieces is one of the oldest constellations in the sky, and it is one of the 12 constellations in the zodiac family.
What Does the Constellation of Pisces Represent? Its large area, coupled with its dim stars, makes it hard to pick out in the night sky. Northern Hemisphere observers are able to see Pisces most clearly in early autumn. Pisces is located northeast of Aquarius and to the northwest of the constellation Cetus the Sea-monster. One of the key ways to identify Pisces is to find the Circlet of Pisces — also known as the head of the Western Fish — to the south of the Square of Pegasus.
The Eastern Fish can be seen leaping upward to the east of the Square of Pegasus. It is a bright giant star G class that is light-years from Earth and has a luminosity that is times that of the sun. Alpha Piscium is the third brightest star in Pisces and is made up of a pair of white dwarf stars in close proximity.
It is also called Alrescha "the cord" as it illuminates the spot where it appears that the tails of the two fish are tied together. It is the 31st closest star system and the nearest single white dwarf to the sun, at just Pisces also contains a Messier object — which are galaxies, nebulae and star clusters recorded by 18th Century French astronomer Charles Messier.
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