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The Fish Constellations

Constellations help people pick out patterns of stars -- and subsequently individual stars - in the night sky more easily. Constellations themselves are not real; they are simply mnemonic devices to help stargazers and astronomers alike to identify stars. There are currently 88 recognized constellations. Ancient civilizations such as the Babylonians and the Greeks assigned literal interpretations of the star patterns, including animals and objects. Although the most famous fish constellation is Pisces, there are others.

Pisces
- A constellation of the zodiac, the body of stars known as Pisces has been interpreted as two fish connected at the tails. Pisces is plural for "fish" in Latin. According to Greek myth, these two fish represent the goddess Aphrodite and Eros, her son, who became fish to escape from the god Typhon. In the constellation, the fishes' tails are connected with a cord, although the Greeks themselves did not come up with an explanation for this. The constellation of Pisces is mostly comprised of faint stars. One of the brightest stars in Pisces, Al Rischa, is located near where the two angles of the "string" intersect.
Piscis Austrinus
- Called The Great Fish or The Southern Fish, Piscis Austrinus lies 30 degrees south of the celestial equator. Ancient peoples saw this collection of stars as a fish on its back with its mouth open; often Aquarius, the water-bearer constellation, is portrayed as pouring water into the fish's mouth. Piscis Austrinus' brightest star is Fomalhaut, a first magnitude star. Magnitude ratings refer to a star's perceptible brightness; first magnitude stars are considered the brightest stars. Overall, this constellation is brighter than Pisces.
Dorado
- Dorado, or The Goldfish, has also been called The Swordfish. It was invented in the 16th century by Dutch explorers, and named after the predatory mahi-mahi they observed on their travels. Most of the Large Magellanic Cloud is contained in Dorado. This constellation is best observed from the Southern Hemisphere. Its brightest star -- a third magnitude star -- is Alpha Doradus. Its dimmest star, R Doradus, is called a red giant, and has a diameter 370 times larger than our sun.
Volans
- Volans -- The Flying Fish -- is another constellation identified by Dutch explorers Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser and Frederick de Houtman. It represents the flying fish that they observed chased by mahi-mahi. In the sky, the constellation Volans is being followed by the constellation Dorado. It is quite dim, as its brightest stars are fourth magnitude. (Fourth magnitude stars are 15.63 times dimmer than first magnitude stars.)

Astronomy