Pisces (The Fishes) Constellation & M74
Pisces IAU constellation (889 sq deg, rank 14): November Vernal Equinox zodiac constellation with the Circlet asterism, Alrescha, and spiral galaxy M74.
Sky Navigation & Astrophysical Context
Wrapping around the southern and eastern edges of the Great Square of Pegasus across 889 square degrees, Pisces is the fourteenth-largest constellation and currently hosts the Vernal Equinox (00h 00m 00s RA, 00° 00′ 00″ Dec, located ~7° south of Omega Piscium), where the Sun crosses the celestial equator northward each March. In Greco-Roman myth, Pisces represents Aphrodite and Eros transformed into two fishes tied together by a long ribbon ('Linon') to escape the monster Typhon along the Euphrates.
Visual observers orient themselves in Pisces via the 'Circlet of Pisces'—a distinct 5°-wide heptagon of fourth- and fifth-magnitude stars (Gamma, Kappa, Lambda, TX [19], Iota, Theta, and 7 Piscium) directly south of Markab and Algenib in Pegasus. From the Circlet (the Western Fish), a long V-shaped cord runs eastward to the knot star Alrescha (Alpha Piscium, V = +3.82 combined, a tight binary of two chemically peculiar Ap stars) and then hooks north toward Andromeda along the Eastern Fish past the constellation's brightest star, the G7 IIIa giant Alpherg (Eta Piscium, +3.62).
Just 1.3° east-northeast of Alpherg (Eta Piscium) sits Messier 74 (NGC 628, 'The Phantom Galaxy'), a textbook face-on SA(s)c grand-design spiral galaxy at ~9.5 megaparsecs whose symmetrical, H II region-lined spiral arms and low surface brightness make it a celebrated benchmark for both dark-sky visual observers and James Webb Space Telescope mid-infrared imaging. Southern Pisces also contains Van Maanen's Star (Wolf 28), the closest solitary white dwarf to the Sun at 4.31 parsecs.
Equatorial Center Position & Transit Altitude
Pisces is centered near Right Ascension 00h 28m 48s, Declination +13° 41′ 24″ (The Fishes).
Practical Star-Hopping & Observing Tips
- Look 10° south of the southern base of the Great Square of Pegasus (Markab and Algenib) to find the 7-star Circlet of Pisces, including the deep-red carbon star TX Piscium (19 Piscium, V ≈ +5.0) on its eastern rim.
- Step 1.3° east-northeast from Alpherg (Eta Piscium) under dark, moonless skies to view the face-on spiral disk of the Phantom Galaxy (Messier 74).
- Split Zeta Piscium (Revati, magnitudes +5.2 and +6.3 separated by 22.9 arcseconds) and Psi¹ Piscium (+5.3 and +5.5 separated by 30 arcseconds) in any small telescope.
Notable Celestial Objects in & Near Pisces
| Object | Family | Classification | RA (J2000) | Dec (J2000) | Min. Instrument |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Triangulum Galaxy (Messier 33 / NGC 598) | galaxies | Late-type unbarred spiral galaxy (3rd largest Local Group member) | 01h 33m 50.89s | +30° 39′ 35.8″ | 7×50 or 10×50 binoculars under dark skies (Bortle 1–4) |
| Andromeda Galaxy (Messier 31 / NGC 224) | galaxies | Barred spiral galaxy (Local Group largest spiral) | 00h 42m 44.33s | +41° 16′ 07.5″ | Naked eye; best framed in 10×50 binoculars and wide-field telescopes |
| Mira (Omicron Ceti Pulsating Giant) | variable-stars | Prototype long-period asymptotic giant branch variable + accreting white dwarf binary | 02h 19m 20.79s | -02° 58′ 39.5″ | Naked eye at maximum; 70–100 mm telescope at minimum |
| Phantom Galaxy (Messier 74 / NGC 628) | galaxies | Face-on grand-design SA(s)c spiral galaxy (M74 Group dominant member) | 01h 36m 41.75s | +15° 47′ 00.5″ | 100–130 mm telescope under dark skies (300 mm+ to trace spiral arms) |
| WASP-76 b — Molten-Iron-Rain Ultra-Hot Jupiter | exoplanets | Ultra-Hot Jupiter Exoplanet | 01h 46m 31.86s | +02° 42′ 02.1″ | 100–200 mm telescope + cooled CCD/CMOS camera for transit photometry |
| Neptune — Outermost Ice Giant Reference Data | solar-system | Ice Giant Planet | 23h 58m 00.00s | -01° 35′ 00.0″ | 7x50 or 10x50 binoculars to locate; 100–200 mm telescope to resolve disk |
Scientific Sources Cited
- IAU Official Constellation Boundaries & Designations (IAU 88 Recognized Constellations): Delporte, E. 1930, Délimitation scientifique des constellations (IAU / Cambridge University Press) — International Astronomical Union (IAU)
- SIMBAD Astronomical Database (CDS) (2026-10 release): Wenger, M., et al. 2000, A&AS, 143, 9 (The SIMBAD astronomical database) — Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg