On my altruistic search for the true meaning of Pisces I ran into some information that I definitely did not completely comprehend but I’ll do my best to explain. I suppose we can start with the basics. As you can glimpse from basic horoscopic knowledge, Pisces is the sign of the fish—and if you know Latin you would know that “pisces” is the plural for fish. Originating in Babylonian times, it was believed to represent two fish tied together, with the star Al Risha (Alpha Piscium) being the pivotal point that “knots” them together. Later it has been linked with the story of Aphrodite and Eros, renamed as Venus in Cupid in Roman times, tying themselves together as to not lose one-another and submerging themselves in water as they attempted to escape from the monster Typhon.
Stars of Pisces are also used in Chinese astronomy. Some of Pisces’ stars are included in the Wall mansion, a part of the black tortoise constellation. Other Piscium stars make up part of the Legs and Outer Fence of the Legs mansion. Seen as white tiger or sometimes a wild boar, it is an intrigue to see that stars were used for similar purposes spanning multiple cultures, but represent incredibly different beings.
The constellation is on the ecliptic so as the Earth moves around the sun the stars of Pisces will not always be visible. Pisces is the sign that the spring (or Vernal) Equinox aligns with currently, though it is slowly changing, and is best seen in November. Although Pisces is fairly difficult to see with the naked eye—it is the 14th largest constellation but has stars that are only are of the fourth magnitude and duller—the Circlet of Pisces is fairly easy for an observer to identify.
The Circlet of Pisces is made up of 7 stars aligned in a circle: Gamma Piscium, 7 Piscium, Theta Piscium, Iota Piscium, 19 Piscium, Lambda Piscium, and Kappa Piscium. The Circlet is located at the eastern end of the constipation and represents the end of a rope entrapping the eastern fish. The brightest star in this group is Gamma Piscium, though it is not the brightest star in the constellation, has a 3.7 magnitude. Kappa Piscium—the southeast corner of the Circlet—is actually three stars, though one is very dull with a magnitude of 11.9. The farthest star from Earth in this section is 19 Piscium, which is a carbon star located 760 light-years away.
The brightest star in the constellation is Eta Piscium, sometimes known as Kullat Nunu. With a 3.62 magnitude, it is not too phenomenally bright and can easily be ignored in the night sky. The star is 294 light years away and is 26 times larger than our sun. It’s a G-class giant yellow star. “Nunu” in Babylonian meant fish and “Kullat” refers the cord that ties the fish together. Al Rescha, noted above as the pivotal point in the cord tying the fish together, has an Arabic name that means “cord”. This star isn’t an actual star at all but two stars orbiting a central point of gravity. It is interesting thinking about the use these constellations had before humans knew anything about what stars are.
The Circlet of Pisces is made up of 7 stars aligned in a circle: Gamma Piscium, 7 Piscium, Theta Piscium, Iota Piscium, 19 Piscium, Lambda Piscium, and Kappa Piscium. The Circlet is located at the eastern end of the constipation and represents the end of a rope entrapping the eastern fish. The brightest star in this group is Gamma Piscium, though it is not the brightest star in the constellation, has a 3.7 magnitude. Kappa Piscium—the southeast corner of the Circlet—is actually three stars, though one is very dull with a magnitude of 11.9. The farthest star from Earth in this section is 19 Piscium, which is a carbon star located 760 light-years away.
The brightest star in the constellation is Eta Piscium, sometimes known as Kullat Nunu. With a 3.62 magnitude, it is not too phenomenally bright and can easily be ignored in the night sky. The star is 294 light years away and is 26 times larger than our sun. It’s a G-class giant yellow star. “Nunu” in Babylonian meant fish and “Kullat” refers the cord that ties the fish together. Al Rescha, noted above as the pivotal point in the cord tying the fish together, has an Arabic name that means “cord”. This star isn’t an actual star at all but two stars orbiting a central point of gravity. It is interesting thinking about the use these constellations had before humans knew anything about what stars are.
When it comes to discussing the furthest reaches of the Pisces constellation, it’s interesting to note the galaxy that lies in the constellation located between 30 and 40 million light years away. Messier 74, unimaginatively named after the man who catalogued it in the late 1700s. Again, it is fairly difficult to see as the galaxy had a magnitude of only 9.4, but it is fairly interesting to study. The galaxy is angled in such a way that the spiral galaxy is observed perfectly from a birds-eye view. It is almost perfectly symmetrical which makes it enticing to view, though a good telescope and perfect, clear viewing conditions are needed.
Growing up, looking at the stars was a casual pastime while camping; centuries ago it was an indication of so many things that we now take for granted. Through my horoscope I got to know myself better; through our civilization discovering the science behind these constellations we got to know our own existence better.
Bibliography
"Messier 74." Messier Object 74. Students for the Exploration and Development of Space, 14 Aug. 2013. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. <http://messier.seds.org/m/m074.html>.
Bakich, Michael E. "The Circlet of Pisces, the Southern Cigar Galaxy, and Elliptical Galaxy NGC 7840." Astronomy.com. Astronomy Magazine, 17 Oct. 2013. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. <http://www.astronomy.com/observing/observing-podcasts/2013/10/the-circlet-of-pisces-the-southern-cigar-galaxy-and-ngc-7840>.
Monkhouse, Richard, and John Cox. 3-d Star Maps. New York: Harper & Row, 1989. Print.
Perryman, M A. C. The Making of History's Greatest Star Map. Heidelberg: Springer, 2010. Print.
Zimmermann, Kim A. "Pisces Constellation: Facts About the Fishes." Space.com. TechMedia Network, 5 June 2013. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. <http://www.space.com/21456-pisces-constellation.html>.
Growing up, looking at the stars was a casual pastime while camping; centuries ago it was an indication of so many things that we now take for granted. Through my horoscope I got to know myself better; through our civilization discovering the science behind these constellations we got to know our own existence better.
Bibliography
"Messier 74." Messier Object 74. Students for the Exploration and Development of Space, 14 Aug. 2013. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. <http://messier.seds.org/m/m074.html>.
Bakich, Michael E. "The Circlet of Pisces, the Southern Cigar Galaxy, and Elliptical Galaxy NGC 7840." Astronomy.com. Astronomy Magazine, 17 Oct. 2013. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. <http://www.astronomy.com/observing/observing-podcasts/2013/10/the-circlet-of-pisces-the-southern-cigar-galaxy-and-ngc-7840>.
Monkhouse, Richard, and John Cox. 3-d Star Maps. New York: Harper & Row, 1989. Print.
Perryman, M A. C. The Making of History's Greatest Star Map. Heidelberg: Springer, 2010. Print.
Zimmermann, Kim A. "Pisces Constellation: Facts About the Fishes." Space.com. TechMedia Network, 5 June 2013. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. <http://www.space.com/21456-pisces-constellation.html>.
