Vata19

Pisces is the home of one of the most interesting galaxies we can see. Galaxy NGC629, or M74, is a spiral galaxy like our own Milky Way, and we can see its facing side. We see all of it’s arms extending out from its center. It looks like a spiral to observers from Earth, in other words. We can’t just look up and see it, though. And through most amateur telescopes it would appear as little more than a blurry spot. If the telescope is 12 inches or more aperture, suddenly its seen as a spiral.

Another unique feature of Pisces constellation astronomy is that an important part of the Sun’s path passes through Pisces today, where it did not when the constellations were first mapped. The first point of Aries is the point where the sun crosses the equator on its way North. This happens at the Vernal Equinox, the first day of spring for the Northern hemisphere of the planet. When the First Point of Aries was established in ancient times it was east of Pisces. But over the years it has moved west into Pisces. This is an example precession, the movement of stars and objects in relation to Earth. It happens, of course, because none of these objects are stationary, and neither is the Earth. Our sun and our galaxy are moving at incredible speeds. The sun and solar system, for example, move at about 220 kilometers per second around the center of the galaxy. In all of human history, the solar system has moved 1/1250th of a complete revolution. Not only is the solar system moving, but so is the galaxy itself as well as every object in the night sky. So the constellations are always moving and changing. Pisces and the First Point of Aries are a great example of this.