There was a time when astronomy, and in fact all science, was a mixture of strange ideas and even superstition along with any real provable ideas. But stalwart men of science continued to look up into the night sky and consider the universe beyond the world upon which they stood. These were men such as Ptolemy who imagined the solar system way back in 100AD, as well as Galileo who was the first to turn a telescope to the heavens. Astronomy stretches to the ends of the endless universe. Therefore it becomes necessary to specialize in one small part of astronomy. Let’s pick a constellation, Pisces, and discuss Pisces constellation astronomy.

As large as the universe is, isn’t a constellation too specialized a subject? A constellation isn’t just some figure in the night sky. Constellations are made up of a large number of interstellar objects like stars and galaxies. Pisces, for example, contains very few bright stars but does contain a unique galaxy from our point of view. M74, also known as galaxy NGC 628, is a face on spiral galaxy. We see all of it’s arms extending out from its center. It looks like a spiral to observers from Earth, in other words. That doesn’t mean we can view it unaided. Even with a hobbyist’s telescope it would look like a tiny, blurred spot. But with a telescope of 12 inches aperture or more the spiral details will be visible.

Over time Pisces has also taken on a significant place in the sky. Pisces (Aries specifically) sees the sun pass through it, over the equator, as it makes its way north. This happens at the Vernal Equinox, the first day of spring for the Northern hemisphere of the planet. Aries’ first point was some distance from Pisces when it was first drawn. It has, however, drifted into Pisces over the long centuries. This is an example precession, the movement of stars and objects in relation to Earth. The Earth and everything in the universe move. Even our sun and the galaxy that contains it travel quite quickly. For instance our sun and solar system move at about 220 kilometers per second around the center of the Milky Way. Since humans have kept records the solar system has traveled about 1/250th of a complete orbit. Not only is the solar system moving, but so is the galaxy itself as well as every object in the night sky. Constellations are always shifting and in flux. The movement of Aries relative to Pisces reminds us of this fact.

See how interesting Pisces constellation astronomy can be?