Overview
Pisces is a large zodiac constellation covering about 889 square degrees, making it one of the biggest constellations in the sky. Despite its size, it is one of the faintest zodiac constellations, with no star brighter than magnitude 3.6. Eta Piscium, the brightest star, is a yellow giant about 294 light-years away. The constellation's most important astronomical feature is the vernal equinox point, where the Sun crosses the celestial equator heading northward each March, marking the beginning of spring. This point has been moving through Pisces due to precession and will eventually enter Aquarius. Pisces is best observed during October and November evenings.
Mythology
In Greek mythology, Pisces represents the goddess Aphrodite and her son Eros, who transformed themselves into fish to escape the monster Typhon. They tied themselves together with a cord so they would not be separated in the river, and the cord connecting the two fish is represented by the star Alpha Piscium (Alrescha, meaning the cord). In a related Babylonian myth, two fish carried the goddess Atargatis and her son to safety. The Sumerians associated these stars with their goddess Inanna. Pisces has also been connected to the Christian era through its association with fish symbolism, and the Age of Pisces roughly coincides with the last two thousand years of Western history.
Astrological Significance
Pisces is the twelfth and final sign of the zodiac, governing those born between February 19 and March 20. Ruled by Neptune (and traditionally Jupiter), it is a mutable water sign representing intuition, empathy, imagination, and spiritual transcendence. Pisces is the most sensitive and mystical of the zodiac signs, possessing a deep emotional awareness that borders on the psychic. Neptune's rulership brings dreams, artistic inspiration, and connection to the collective unconscious. In a birth chart, planets in Pisces express themselves with compassion, creativity, and a desire to dissolve boundaries. The mutable quality gives Pisces exceptional adaptability but can also bring indecisiveness.
Observing Tips
Pisces is best observed during autumn evenings. Its faint stars require dark skies to trace. The constellation forms a large V-shape, with one fish below the Great Square of Pegasus and the other extending toward Aries. Alrescha (Alpha Piscium) is a fine double star at the junction of the two fish, resolvable in small telescopes. The face-on spiral galaxy M74 is the constellation's deep-sky highlight, sometimes called the Phantom Galaxy because of its low surface brightness, making it one of the more challenging Messier objects. The vernal equinox point lies in western Pisces near the border with Aquarius, though there is nothing visible to mark it.