Pisces (constellation) facts for kids
| Constellation | |
List of stars in Pisces
|
|
| Abbreviation | Psc |
|---|---|
| Genitive | Piscium |
| Pronunciation | genitive |
| Symbolism | the Fishes |
| Right ascension | 1 |
| Declination | +15 |
| Quadrant | NQ1 |
| Area | 889 sq. deg. (14th) |
| Main stars | 18 |
| Bayer/Flamsteed stars |
86 |
| Stars with planets | 13 |
| Stars brighter than 3.00m | 0 |
| Stars within 10.00 pc (32.62 ly) | 8 |
| Brightest star | η Psc (3.62m) |
| Messier objects | 1 |
| Meteor showers | Piscids |
| Bordering constellations |
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| Visible at latitudes between +90° and −65°. Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of November. |
|
Pisces is a constellation, which is like a picture made of stars in the night sky. It's often called "The Fishes" because of its shape. You can find Pisces near the celestial equator, an imaginary line in the sky that's like Earth's equator. It's one of the twelve constellations of the Zodiac, which are special constellations that the Sun appears to pass through during the year.
Contents
What is a Constellation?
A constellation is a group of stars that form a pattern. People long ago imagined these patterns looked like animals, heroes, or objects. They used constellations to tell stories, track the seasons, and help them navigate. Pisces is one of the oldest known constellations.
Finding Pisces in the Sky
Pisces is a large constellation, but its stars are not very bright. This can make it a bit tricky to spot. It's best seen in the Northern Hemisphere during the autumn months, especially in November. In the Southern Hemisphere, it's visible in spring.
To find Pisces, you can look for some of its brighter neighbors. It's located between the famous Great Square of Pegasus and the constellation Aries. Pisces is often described as two fish tied together by a long cord, with one fish swimming north and the other west.
Cool Objects in Pisces
Even though Pisces's stars are faint, it holds some interesting objects that astronomers love to study. These are called "deep-sky objects" because they are far beyond our solar system.
Messier 74: The Phantom Galaxy
One of the most famous objects in Pisces is Messier 74, also known as the Phantom Galaxy. It's a beautiful spiral galaxy that looks a bit like our own Milky Way Galaxy. It's called "Phantom" because it's quite dim and hard to see without a powerful telescope. Messier 74 is about 30 million light-years away from Earth. It has two clear spiral arms and is home to about 100 billion stars!
Other Galaxies in Pisces
- NGC 488: This is a large spiral galaxy that's also found in Pisces. It's much farther away than Messier 74, about 90 million light-years from us.
- NGC 520: This is a pair of colliding galaxies. They are in the process of merging into one larger galaxy. This cosmic crash creates a lot of new stars and interesting shapes. It's a great example of how galaxies can change over billions of years.
The Story of Pisces
In Greek mythology, Pisces is linked to the story of Aphrodite (the goddess of love) and her son Eros (the god of desire). One day, a giant monster named Typhon attacked the gods. To escape, Aphrodite and Eros turned themselves into fish and jumped into the Euphrates River. To make sure they didn't get separated, they tied themselves together with a cord. The gods later placed their fish forms in the sky as the constellation Pisces to remember their clever escape.
Images for kids
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From Urania's Mirror (1824), showing the constellation Pisces.
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Pisces as drawn in Johannes Hevelius's star map from 1690.
See also
In Spanish: Piscis (constelación) para niños
