Constellation Pisces (Fish)
Date:
Southern Hemisphere Northern Hemisphere
Autumn
Fishes
Pisces
The constellation of Pisces is connected to the ecliptic, which means that the sun and the moon wander through it and that it’s a Sign of the Zodiac. It covers an area of 889 square degrees and can be seen in both the northern and southern hemispheres. It belongs to the 48 constellations of ancient astronomy described by Ptolemy.
How to spot Pisces
The constellation is best seen in autumn, but it is rather inconspicuous because of its weakly glowing stars. Pisces lies between the constellations Triangle, Aries, Aquarius and Pegasus.
Mythology
Pisces appears in the story of Aphrodite and her son Eros. She played with her boy on the banks of the Euphrates, when the monster Typhon appeared to bring disaster upon all the Gods. Terrified, she fled with Eros in the reeds, because they could not turn into swimming animals. Thus, the benevolent nymph of the river sent her two fish tied together with a string. That way Aphrodite could hold on to them with her son and escape the monster. In return for the rescue, the two fish were put into the sky, where they also seem to be connected by a string.