Because the sun appears in front of Pisces the Fishes around the time of the March equinox, it is frequently referred to as the first constellation of the zodiac. The span of time between successive March equinoxes is sometimes referred to as a tropical year. As a result, the March equinox marks the start of a new year in this sense. That’s why Pisces, which stands in front of the sun on the March equinox, is frequently referred to as the zodiac’s beginning point.
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When can I see the constellation Pisces?
The sun’s annual passage in front of the constellation Pisces occurs about March 12 to April 19 in our time. From roughly April 19 to May 14, the sun will pass in front of the constellation Aries.
Of fact, spotting Pisces in March and April is difficult because the constellation is obscured by the sun’s glare at that time of year. Instead, observing Pisces in the evening sky during a Northern Hemisphere fall (or Southern Hemisphere spring) say, November is a good idea.
Pisces reaches its apogee for the night at 10 p.m. local standard time in early November and around 8 p.m. local standard time in early December, as seen from all across the world.
To observe this pretty dim constellation swimming in what the early stargazers regarded to be a watery section of the lore-laden heavens, you’ll need a dark country sky. Pisces is located to the northeast of the Water Bearer constellation Aquarius and to the northwest of the Sea-monster constellation Cetus.
Fortunately, the signpost known as the Great Square of Pegasus, as seen on the sky chart below, can be used to quickly locate Pisces. To the south of the Square of Pegasus, look for the Circlet of Pisces, also known as the Western Fish’s Head. After you’ve caught the Western Fish, move on to the Eastern Fish, which is leaping upward to the east of the Pegasus Square. The entire constellation resembles the letter V, although an elegant and lovely V. Al Risha is the constellation’s Alpha star (but not the brightest). By the way, the Eastern Fish looks to be sinking downward when viewed from the northern tropics or the Southern Hemisphere.
Pisces’ lone Messier object
Within Pisces’ limits, there can only be one Messier object, which is a fuzzy object that looks like a comet but is actually a star cluster, nebula, or galaxy. Messier 74 is a face-on spiral galaxy believed to be 35 million light-years away. This Messier object in the constellation Pisces is frequently overlooked during the month of March, when it is technically feasible but difficult to see all of the Messier objects in one night.
Messier 74 is notoriously difficult to catch during the yearly Messier Marathons in March and/or April for two reasons. Messier 74 appears low in the western sky at sunset at that time of year, and then swiftly fades out of view. Furthermore, because this distant galaxy has a very low surface brightness, good seeing conditions are essential for capturing Messier 74. A huge telescope isn’t required as much as a dark, transparent sky.
However, if you wish to find this tiny galaxy known as Messier 74, the months around November are ideal. On a dark, clear moonless night, try it with averted eyesight.
Pisces in mythology and star lore
The Greek and Roman versions of Pisces’ sky legend appeared to have originated in Syria, where fish were revered as gods. It’s unclear if the ancient Syrians abstained from eating fish completely or only ate fish from the Chalos River (presently called the Queiq or Aleppo River).
Atagartis, the Syrian goddess of love and fertility, is frequently depicted as half lady, half fish.
She is supposed to be the mother of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess, and Venus, the Roman goddess.
According to Greek legend, Aphrodite (the Roman Venus) and her son Eros (the Roman Cupid) were going to be devoured by the fire-breathing monster Typhon, so they transformed into fish and plunged into the Euphrates River to make a great escape. To keep from getting separated in the raging waters, mother and son bound themselves together with a cord.
How long is the Age of Pisces?
We’ll continue to live in the Age of Pisces as long as the sun shines in front of this constellation on the March equinox, according to some definitions. Despite the fact that the sun hasn’t appeared in front of the constellation Aries on the equinox in over 2,000 years, the March equinox point is still known as the First Point in Aries.
The Age of Pisces began in 68 B.C., and the Age of Aquarius will begin in 2597, if the International Astronomical Union’s constellation limits are accepted.
However, there are many other points of view on this, some of which can be found in this post:
When does the Aquarius Age begin?
What makes the Pisces constellation unique?
While it is a huge constellation, its stars are dim, with none brighter than fourth magnitude, making it difficult to spot with the naked eye in the sky. Around March 20 each year, the sun crosses the celestial equator into the Northern Hemisphere, marking the beginning of Pisces.
Is there a place where I may see the Pisces constellation?
Between June and February, Capricorn is visible in the sky. The greatest time to see it is approximately 9:00 p.m. in November, when it is directly overhead.
Between the latitudes of +90 and -65, Pisces can be seen in the northern square NQ1 of the sky. With the exception of Antarctica, it can be seen from anywhere on the planet.
Each month of the year, the following table shows the hours and general direction where the constellation can be viewed. The table applies to the entire Northern Hemisphere (the United States, Europe, and Canada), and the hours may change slightly based on your location, but not much.
The constellations, like the Sun and Moon, migrate through the sky from East to West, as seen in the table. Pisces is already up in the sky by sunset between December and February, so you won’t witness it rise from the horizon.
The constellation slips behind the Sun between March and May, making it impossible to observe from Earth.
Despite the fact that Pisces is a large constellation, it lacks many brilliant stars. This makes it more difficult to find in large cities and areas with a lot of light pollution. If you live in a city where there aren’t many stars to observe at night, you may need to use binoculars or a telescope to spot it.
How does Pisces appear in the sky?
Pisces is part of a larger constellation cluster that includes Pegasus, Andromeda, Aries, and Triangulum. It’s also close to Aquarius. The stars in Pisces are arranged in a rough V-shape. The head of the eastern fish is small triangular, whereas the head of the western fish is little circlet. In the northern hemisphere sky, it is immediately next to Pegasus’ Great Square, and the fishes’ heads are either to the west or southeast of the Square.
What galaxy does Pisces belong to?
- In his 2nd century Almagest, the Greco-Roman astronomer Ptolemy included the constellation of Pisces as one of the first 48 constellations.
- Pisces is the 14th largest constellation in the sky, with an area of roughly 889 square degrees, and is one of the 88 modern constellations.
- The constellation Pisces is related with the fable of Aphrodite and her son Eros, who were either saved by two fishes or transformed into fishes to escape the demon Typhon.
- The spiral galaxy Messier 74 is the sole Messier object in the constellation of Pisces.
- The Piscids are the only prominent meteor shower connected with Pisces.
- Alpherg, a G-type evolved massive star, is the brightest star in Pisces. The apparent magnitude of this star is +3.611.
- Alpherg has a companion star, a young star of magnitude 7.51, circling it.
- Apart from its brightest star, Van Maanen’s star, Alrescha, Fumalsamakah, Delta Piscium, Epsilon Piscium, Revati, Torcular, Omega Piscium, and Gamma Piscium are some of the other interesting stars in Pisces.
- Apart from the aforementioned Messier item, the colliding galaxies NGC 520, the spiral galaxy NGC 488, the CL 0024+1654 galaxy cluster, the radio galaxy 3C 31, the Pisces Dwarf Galaxy, or the CGCG 436-030 spiral galaxy are among the many deep-sky objects visible in Pisces.
- November is the greatest month to see stars and deep-sky objects in Pisces.
Pisces is derived from a combination of the Babylonian constellations Sinutu4 the big swallow in current western Pisces and Anunitum the Lady of the Heaven in current northern Pisces.
The Greek myth of Aphrodite and her son Eros, who either shape-shifted into fishes to avoid the Titans’ monster Typhon, or were saved by two fishes, is typically connected with Pisces.
Venus and Cupid, the Roman equivalents of Aphrodite and Eros, are carried away from danger on the backs of two fishes in the Roman version of the narrative.
Pisces is the zodiac sign of the fish Pisces.
Your brain will most certainly be fatigued towards the end of the Aquarius season. You’ve been concocting answers to the world’s problems, visualizing a thousand various futures, and going in circles. Being a visionary is exhausting! So, when Pisces season approaches towards the tail end of winter, you can recall how crucial it is to feel rather than overthinking things.
The sun is in Pisces from roughly February 18 to March 20 every year. It encourages us to redirect our energy away from Aquarius’ dazzling, detached intellectualism and toward empathy, intuition, and spirituality at this period. The Aquarius season offered a time to celebrate your wild originality and lean into the characteristics that set you apart from others. However, each zodiac sign builds on and learns from the one before it, and the Pisces season now wants us to acknowledge that, despite our differences, we are all connected and interdependent. The boundaries that keep us separated from one another aren’t as strong as they appear.
The fact that Pisces is a water sign explains a lot of these characteristics. Water is the element of feeling and intuition in astrology. These signs are less concerned with facts and practicality than with the emotional currents that run beneath the surface, and they are more focused on the realm of the heart than the material world.
Pisces, like the other water signs, is very emotional and feels things intensely. There’s a notion that Pisces cry all the time (which you’re probably aware with if you’ve spent any time looking at astrological memes): Tears can be triggered by happiness, loneliness, or fury in equal measure. This doesn’t imply you’ll be crying the entire season, but you can anticipate to reconnect with your deepest feelings. You don’t have to do anything with them right now; don’t consider them data points, riddles to solve, or roadblocks to overcome. All Pisces season really wants is for you to live it up.
Pisces has a distinct spiritual viewpoint, able to see beyond the individual even beyond the community to the cosmic, as the concluding sign of the zodiac year, absorbing the wisdom, energy, and lessons of all the preceding signs. The intuition of a Pisces might be so strong that it appears magical. During Pisces season, you may or may not become more psychic (but you could! ), but you’ll be drawn to things whose power you can’t rationally explain, from art to tarot to your dreams.
Pisces season isn’t always the easiest for planning, strategizing, or negotiating affairs down here on Earth because of its aura of enchantment and emotion. Don’t be concerned if your objectives fade into the background for the time being. Take use of this time to listen to songs that make you cry, write poems, and call your friends just to tell them how much they mean to you. Give yourself the gift of a good, hard weep if you’re in need of some relief. Your soul could use some tender loving care after a long and exhausting astrological year, and Pisces season is the perfect time for it.
All of this vulnerability and openness can often lead to apathy and a loss of control over your own life. When you’re open to the world’s magic and aware of all the cosmic forces at work in your life, it’s easy to get caught up in self-pity and forget that you have your own power. Remember that you may still make decisions, help people in significant ways, and choose how to use your gifts during the Pisces season.
The compassion and generosity of the Pisces season at its best will educate, not hinder, your journey through life. Don’t underestimate the power of Pisces: The word “water” does not imply “diluted.” Take a look at Rihanna. Honoring your emotions, compassion, and believing in something bigger than yourself doesn’t have to make you foolish or weak, as Pisces season reminds us: It has the power to teach you new ways of looking at the world and to make you stronger than you’ve ever been.
What is the Pisces legend?
In Greek mythology, Pisces is the fish. Aphrodite and Eros were traveling along the Euphrates River when Typhon approached in this story. They were afraid, but because to his immense size and power, they were unable to flee. So they appealed to Zeus for assistance, requesting that he transform them into fish so that they might flee into the river. Zeus complied by transforming them both into fish. They then dove into the river, where they were able to swim away from Typhon and to safety.
What is the size of Pisces?
Summary with key facts Pisces was one of the first 48 Greek constellations identified by Ptolemy in the 2nd century, in addition to being one of the zodiac constellations. With an area of around 889 square degrees, it is the 14th largest constellation in the sky.