Constellations of the Southern Spring Help

Constellations of the Southern Spring—Pisces and Aries

Pisces And Aries

In the north you will see Pisces , the two fish. In the north-northeastern sky is Aries , the winged ram (Fig. 3-25). The fish of Pisces are, according to mythology, joined at their tails, and Aries has fleece of gold.

Figure 3-25. Pisces, the fishes, and Aries, the ram.

Cetus

High in the northeastern sky is Cetus , the whale or sea monster (Fig. 3-26). The variable star Mira is sometimes visible in this constellation. The star Tau Ceti is thought to be a candidate for having a solar system similar to ours and possibly an earthlike planet.

Figure 3-26. Cetus, the whale, contains the variable star Mira.

Pegasus And Andromeda

Low in the north-northwestern sky is Pegasus , the winged horse. Near the northern horizon, Andromeda , representing a princess, rides the horse alongside the Milky Way (Fig. 3-27). Andromeda contains a spiral galaxy similar to our own galaxy, but it is 2,200,000 light-years away, about 20 times the diameter of the Milky Way’s spiral disk. The Great Nebula in Andromeda , as it was originally called, is too near the horizon, as viewed from the southern temperate latitudes, to present itself well to casual observers.

Figure 3-27. Pegasus, the winged horse, and Andromeda, the Ethiopian princess who married Perseus.

Aquarius

High in the northwest sky, you will see Aquarius , the water bearer (Fig. 3-28). Aquarius supposedly brings love and peace. In ancient mythology, this constellation was seen as a person pouring water from a jug.

Figure 3-28. Aquarius, the water-bearer, traverses the northwestern sky on spring evenings in the southern hemisphere.

Piscis Austrinus And Grus

High in the western sky, nearly at the zenith, is Piscis Austrinus , also called Piscis Australis . This is the southern fish and contains the bright star Formalhaut (Fig. 3-29). Immediately to the south of it is Grus , the crane.

Figure 3-29. Piscis Austrinus, the southern fish, and Grus, the crane, are near the zenith on southern-hemisphere spring evenings.

Practice problems of this concept can be found at: The Southern Sky Practice Problems