SHORT CONSTELLATION GUIDE

The Two Fish (Pisces)

Pisces (Latin for “the fishes”) are a zodiac constellation that lies between the Water-Carrier (in the west) and the Ram (in the east). The Two Fish are the last sign of the zodiac, just as the Ram is the first. Because of precession, the fish are a significant constellation today, as the vernal point (the point on the celestial sphere where the path of the sun crosses over the celestial equator from south to north) now lies in Pisces.

From mythology – an interesting story that has been told for many centuries

The constellation looks like two rounded objects that are connected from a common starting point by two long cords. These objects have been generally seen as two fish. Nearly every ancient civilization saw this figure in the constellation. Some saw a single fish, others saw a pair. According to the Greek myth, Aphrodite, the goddess of love, was having a picnic with her son Eros one lovely afternoon on the banks of the Euphrates river. Out of nowhere, the horrible monster Typhon suddenly appeared. Aphrodite and Eros were quite frightened, and jumped into the river; they transformed themselves into fish so that they would be able to swim faster.

Finding the constellation in the sky

The constellation in a group of weaker stars that portray two fish connected with a V-shaped cord. The constellation is situated around the southeast corner of the Pegasus constellation. An easy way to find Pisces is to look from the Square of Pegasus downwards – toward the head of the west fish. From there, a nearly straight line leads along the west fish and cord to the brightest star of Pisces, Al Rischa (magnitude 4), and then up to the other, east fish, which lies south of the Andromeda constellation.