Pisces, named for the Latin plural of fish, occupies 889 square degrees, making it the 14th largest constellation overall. While it is a fairly large constellation, its stars are faint — none are brighter than fourth magnitude — making it challenging to see in the sky with the naked eye.
Pisces is notable for containing the point at which the sun crosses the celestial equator into the Northern Hemisphere around March 20 each year. This point, called the vernal equinox, used to lie in Aries, but has moved into Pisces because of the Earth's wobble on its axis, called precession, according to astronomer and author Ian Ridpath.
Pisces belongs to the Zodiac family of constellations, along with Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpius, Sagittarius, Capricornus and Aquarius.
Major Stars in Pisces
- Eta Piscium
- Gamma Piscium
- Omega Piscium
- Iota Piscium
- Omicron Piscium
- Alpha Piscium
- Epsilon Piscium
- Theta Piscium
- Delta Piscium
- Nu Piscium
- Beta Piscium