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> Constellation of Pisces

Constellation of Pisces

author: A.Fujii/David Malin Images/Novapix

reference: a-cst71-00004

Image Size 300 DPI: 51 * 40 cm

Pisces (the Fishes) is a large constellation of mostly quite faint stars at the edge of an ancient and huge part of the sky known as 'the Sea'. Pisces is said to resemble two fish, which are tied to a (alpha) Piscium by long lines. Alpha Piscium is known as Al Rischa in Arabic, where it means 'the cord'. Some Greek mythologies have two men tethered to this star, though some of the other stars have fishy names. The Sun is in Pisces from March 13 to April 19, and it crosses the ecliptic on March 21, which marks the vernal Equinox, the first day of autumn in the southern hemisphere. This used to be called the first point in Aries, but precession has now moved it into Pisces. However, this point in the sky is the origin of right ascension (RA) in the astronomical equatorial coordinate sytem, and because it moves with precession, RA and Dec are defined at a certain date.

Keywords for this photo:

ASTRONOMY - CONSTELLATION - LINE - MAP - NIGHT - PISCES - POSTER - STAR - STARRY SKY - ZODIAC -