Editing Pisces (constellation)

{{Short description|Zodiac constellation straddling the celestial equator}}
{{About|the astronomical constellation|the astrological sign|Pisces (astrology)}}
{{Infobox constellation
| name = Pisces
| abbreviation = Psc
| genitive = Piscium
| pronounce = {{IPAc-en|ˈ|p|aɪ|s|iː|z}}; genitive {{IPAc-en|ˈ|p|ɪ|ʃ|i|əm}}
| symbolism = the [[Fishes]]
| RA = {{RA|1}}
| dec= {{DEC|+15}}
| family = [[Zodiac]]
| quadrant = NQ1
| areatotal = 889
| arearank = 14th
| numbermainstars = 18
| numberbfstars = 86
| numberstarsplanets = 13
| numberbrightstars = 0
| numbernearbystars = 8
| brighteststarname = [[Eta Piscium|η Psc]] (Alpherg)
| starmagnitude = 3.62
| neareststarname = [[Van Maanen's Star]]
| stardistancely = 14.07
| stardistancepc = 4.31
| numbermessierobjects = 1
| meteorshowers = Piscids
| bordering =
  {{plainlist |
* [[Triangulum]]
* [[Andromeda (constellation)|Andromeda]]
* [[Pegasus (constellation)|Pegasus]]
* [[Aquarius (constellation)|Aquarius]]
* [[Cetus]]
* [[Aries (constellation)|Aries]]
  }}
| latmax = [[North Pole|90]]
| latmin = [[65th parallel south|65]]
| month = November
| notes = 
}}

'''Pisces'''  is a constellation of the [[zodiac]]. Its vast bulk &ndash; and main asterism viewed in most European cultures per [[Greco-Roman antiquity]] as a distant pair of fishes connected by one cord each that join at an apex &ndash; are in the [[Northern celestial hemisphere]]. Its old astronomical symbol is [[Image:Pisces symbol (fixed width).svg|20px]] (♓︎). Its name is Latin for "fishes". It is between [[Aquarius (constellation)|Aquarius]], of similar size, to the southwest and [[Aries (constellation)|Aries]], which is smaller, to the east. The [[ecliptic]] and the [[celestial equator]] intersect within this constellation and in [[Virgo (constellation)|Virgo]]. The Sun [[subsolar point|passes directly overhead]] of the equator, on average, at approximately this point in the sky, at the [[March equinox]].

The [[right ascension]]/[[declination]] '''00''' is located within the boundaries of Pisces.

== Features ==

[[File:PiscesCC.jpg|thumb|left|256px|The constellation Pisces as it can be seen by naked eye]]
The [[March equinox]] is currently located in Pisces, due south of Psc, and, due to [[precession]], slowly drifting due west, just below the western fish towards [[Aquarius (constellation)|Aquarius]].

===Stars ===
{{See also|List of stars in Pisces}}
Although Pisces is a large constellation, there are only two stars brighter than magnitude 4 in Pisces. It is also the second dimmest of the zodiac constellations.

{{Hatnote|Note: magnitude, here, means apparent magnitude}}
* Alrescha ("the cord"), otherwise [[Alpha Piscium]] (α Psc), 309.8 lightyears, class A2, magnitude 3.62, variable binary star<ref name=wraight2011>{{cite journal |bibcode=2012MNRAS.420..757W |title=A photometric study of chemically peculiar stars with the STEREO satellites - I. Magnetic chemically peculiar stars |last1=Wraight |first1=K. T. |last2=Fossati |first2=L. |last3=Netopil |first3=M. |last4=Paunzen |first4=E. |last5=Rode-Paunzen |first5=M. |last6=Bewsher |first6=D. |last7=Norton |first7=A. J. |last8=White |first8=Glenn J. |journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society |year=2012 |volume=420 |issue=1 |page=757 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2966.2011.20090.x |doi-access=free |arxiv=1110.6283 |s2cid=14811051 }}</ref>
* Fumalsamakah<ref name="IAU-LSN">{{cite web | url=https://www.iau.org/public/themes/naming_stars/ | title=Naming Stars |publisher=IAU.org |access-date=8 August 2018}}</ref> ("mouth of the fish"), otherwise [[Beta Piscium]] (β Psc), 492 lightyears, class B6Ve, magnitude 4.48
* [[Delta Piscium]] (δ Psc), 305 lightyears, class K5III, magnitude 4.44. Like other stars near the ecliptic, Delta Piscium is subject to lunar occultations.<ref name=Meyer1995>{{citation
 | display-authors=1 | last1=Meyer | first1=C.
 | last2=Rabbia | first2=Y. | last3=Froeschle | first3=M.
 | last4=Helmer | first4=G. | last5=Amieux | first5=G.
 | title=Observations of lunar occultations at Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur
 | journal=Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement
 | volume=110 | pages=107 | year=1995
 | bibcode=1995A&AS..110..107M
 | postscript=. }}</ref>
* [[Epsilon Piscium]] (ε Psc), 190 lightyears, class K0III, magnitude 4.27. Has a candidate exoplanet.<ref name=Teng2021>{{citation|arxiv=2112.07169|year=2022|title=Regular radial velocity variations in nine G- and K-type giant stars: Eight planets and one planet candidate|doi=10.1093/pasj/psab112 |last1=Teng |first1=Huan-Yu |last2=Sato |first2=Bun'ei |last3=Takarada |first3=Takuya |last4=Omiya |first4=Masashi |last5=Harakawa |first5=Hiroki |last6=Izumiura |first6=Hideyuki |last7=Kambe |first7=Eiji |last8=Takeda |first8=Yoichi |last9=Yoshida |first9=Michitoshi |last10=Itoh |first10=Yoichi |last11=Ando |first11=Hiroyasu |last12=Kokubo |first12=Eiichiro |journal=Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan |volume=74 |pages=92–127 }}</ref>
* Revati<ref name="IAU-LSN"/> ("rich"), otherwise [[Zeta Piscium]] (ζ Psc), 148 lightyears, class A7IV, magnitude 5.21. Quintuple star system.<ref name=RevatiEggleton2008>{{citation
 | last1=Eggleton | first1=P. P. | last2=Tokovinin | first2=A. A.
 | title=A catalogue of multiplicity among bright stellar systems
 | journal=[[Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society]]
 | volume=389 | issue=2 | pages=869–879 | date=September 2008
 | doi=10.1111/j.1365-2966.2008.13596.x | doi-access=free | bibcode=2008MNRAS.389..869E
 | arxiv=0806.2878 | s2cid=14878976 | postscript=.}}</ref>
* Alpherg ("emptying"),<ref name="IAU-LSN"/> otherwise [[Eta Piscium]] (η Psc), 349 lightyears, class G7 IIIa, magnitude 3.62. It is a [[Gamma Cassiopeiae variable]]<ref name=Cvetkovic2010>{{citation
 | title=Eight new and three recalculated orbits for binaries
 | last1=Cvetković | first1=Z. | last2=Novaković | first2=B.
 | journal=Astronomische Nachrichten | date=March 2010
 | volume=331 | issue=3 | page=304 | postscript=.
 | doi=10.1002/asna.200911250 | bibcode=2010AN....331..304C }}</ref> with a weak magnetic field.<ref name=Auriere2015>{{citation
 | title=The magnetic fields at the surface of active single G-K giants
 | last1=Aurière | first1=M. | last2=Konstantinova-Antova | first2=R.
 | last3=Charbonnel | first3=C. | last4=Wade | first4=G. A.
 | last5=Tsvetkova | first5=S. | last6=Petit | first6=P.
 | last7=Dintrans | first7=B. | last8=Drake | first8=N. A.
 | last9=Decressin | first9=T. | last10=Lagarde | first10=N.
 | last11=Donati | first11=J. F. | last12=Roudier | first12=T.
 | last13=Lignières | first13=F. | last14=Schröder | first14=K. P.
 | last15=Landstreet | first15=J. D. | last16=Lèbre | first16=A.
 | last17=Weiss | first17=W. W. | last18=Zahn | first18=J. P.
 | journal=Astronomy & Astrophysics | arxiv=1411.6230
 | volume=574 | id=A90 | pages=30 | date=February 2015 | postscript=.
 | doi=10.1051/0004-6361/201424579 | bibcode=2015A&A...574A..90A | s2cid=118504829 }}</ref>
* Torcular ("thread"),<ref name="IAU-LSN"/> otherwise [[Omicron Piscium]] (ο Psc), 258 lightyears, class K0III, magnitude 4.2. It is an evolved red giant star on the [[horizontal branch]].<ref name=Reffert2015>{{citation
 | title=Precise radial velocities of giant stars. VII. Occurrence rate of giant extrasolar planets as a function of mass and metallicity
 | display-authors=1 | last1=Reffert | first1=Sabine
 | last2=Bergmann | first2=Christoph | last3=Quirrenbach | first3=Andreas
 | last4=Trifonov | first4=Trifon | last5=Künstler | first5=Andreas
 | journal=Astronomy and Astrophysics
 | volume=574A | issue=2 | pages=116–129 | date=2015
 | bibcode=2015A&A...574A.116R | doi=10.1051/0004-6361/201322360
 | arxiv=1412.4634 | s2cid=59334290 | postscript=. }}</ref>
* [[Omega Piscium]] (ω Psc), 106 lightyears, class F4IV, magnitude 4.03. It is an [[F-type star]] that is either a [[subgiant]] or on the main sequence.<ref name=abt2009>{{citation
 | last1=Abt | first1=Helmut A. | postscript=.
 | title=MK Classifications of Spectroscopic Binaries
 | journal=The Astrophysical Journal Supplement
 | volume=180 | issue=1 | pages=117–18 | date=2009
 | doi=10.1088/0067-0049/180/1/117 | bibcode=2009ApJS..180..117A| s2cid=122811461 }}</ref><ref name=Griffin1960>{{citation
 | title=Photoelectric measurements of the λ4200 A CN band and the G band in G8-K5 spectra
 | last1=Griffin | first1=R. F. | last2=Redman | first2=R. O.
 | journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
 | volume=120 | pages=287–316 | year=1960 | issue=4 | postscript=.
 | doi=10.1093/mnras/120.4.287 | bibcode=1960MNRAS.120..287G | doi-access=free }}</ref>
* [[Gamma Piscium]] (γ Psc), 138 lightyears, magnitude 3.70. The star hosts an [[exoplanet]] which was discovered in 2021.<ref name=Teng2021>{{citation|arxiv=2112.07169|year=2022|title=Regular radial velocity variations in nine G- and K-type giant stars: Eight planets and one planet candidate|doi=10.1093/pasj/psab112 |last1=Teng |first1=Huan-Yu |last2=Sato |first2=Bun'ei |last3=Takarada |first3=Takuya |last4=Omiya |first4=Masashi |last5=Harakawa |first5=Hiroki |last6=Izumiura |first6=Hideyuki |last7=Kambe |first7=Eiji |last8=Takeda |first8=Yoichi |last9=Yoshida |first9=Michitoshi |last10=Itoh |first10=Yoichi |last11=Ando |first11=Hiroyasu |last12=Kokubo |first12=Eiichiro |journal=Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan |volume=74 |pages=92–127 }}</ref> It has a spectral type of G8 III.<ref name="Baines2018">{{cite journal | title=Fundamental Parameters of 87 Stars from the Navy Precision Optical Interferometer | last1=Baines | first1=Ellyn K. | last2=Armstrong | first2=J. Thomas | last3=Schmitt | first3=Henrique R. | last4=Zavala | first4=R. T. | last5=Benson | first5=James A. | last6=Hutter | first6=Donald J. | last7=Tycner | first7=Christopher | last8=Belle | first8=Gerard T. van | display-authors=1 | journal=The Astronomical Journal | volume=155 | at=30 | year=2018 | issue=1 | arxiv=1712.08109 | bibcode=2018AJ....155...30B | doi=10.3847/1538-3881/aa9d8b | s2cid=119427037 | doi-access=free }}</ref>
* [[Van Maanen's Star]] is the closest-known solitary white dwarf to us, with a dim apparent magnitude. It is located about 2° to the south of the star [[Delta Piscium]],<ref name=burham1978>{{citation | first=Robert | last=Burnham | year=1978 | title=Burnham's celestial handbook: an observer's guide to the universe beyond the solar system | volume=3 | series=Dover books explaining science | edition=2nd | publisher=Courier Dover Publications | isbn=0-486-23673-0 | pages=1474–1477 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PJzIt3SIlkUC&pg=PA1474 | postscript=. }}</ref> with a relatively high [[proper motion]] of 2.978″ annually along a [[position angle]] of 155.538°.<ref name=aj147_6_129>{{citation
 | display-authors=1
 | last1=Sion | first1=Edward M. | last2=Holberg | first2=J. B.
 | last3=Oswalt | first3=Terry D. | last4=McCook | first4=George P.
 | last5=Wasatonic | first5=Richard | last6=Myszka | first6=Janine
 | title=The White Dwarfs within 25 pc of the Sun: Kinematics and Spectroscopic Subtypes
 | journal=The Astronomical Journal | date=June 2014
 | volume=147 | issue=6 | id=129 | pages=11
 | doi=10.1088/0004-6256/147/6/129 | bibcode=2014AJ....147..129S
 | arxiv=1401.4989 | s2cid=119184859 | postscript=. }}</ref> It is closer to the Sun than any other solitary white dwarf. It is too faint to be seen with the [[naked eye]].<ref name=burham1978/> Like other white dwarfs, it is a very dense star: its mass has been estimated to be about 67% of the [[solar mass|Sun's]],<ref name=Limoges2015>{{citation
 | title=Physical Properties of the Current Census of Northern White Dwarfs within 40 pc of the Sun
 | display-authors=1 | last1=Limoges | first1=M. -M.
 | last2=Bergeron | first2=P. | last3=Lépine | first3=S.
 | journal=The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series
 | volume=219 | issue=2 | id=19 | pages=35 | date=August 2015
 | doi=10.1088/0067-0049/219/2/19 | arxiv=1505.02297
 | bibcode=2015ApJS..219...19L | s2cid=118494290 | postscript=. }}</ref> yet it has only 1% of the [[solar radius|Sun's radius]].<ref name="ApJS199_2_29">{{citation
 | display-authors=1
 | last1     = Giammichele
 | first1    = N.
 | last2     = Bergeron
 | first2    = P.
 | last3     = Dufour
 | first3    = P.
 | title     = Know Your Neighborhood: A Detailed Model Atmosphere Analysis of Nearby White Dwarfs
 | journal   = The Astrophysical Journal Supplement
 | volume    = 199
 | issue     = 2
 | page      = 29
 |date=April 2012
 | arxiv     = 1202.5581
 | doi       = 10.1088/0067-0049/199/2/29
 | bibcode   = 2012ApJS..199...29G
 | s2cid = 118304737
 | postscript = .
}} Based on log&nbsp;''L''/{{Solar luminosity}}&nbsp;=&nbsp;−3.77.</ref> The [[stellar atmosphere|outer atmosphere]] has a temperature of approximately 6,110&nbsp;[[Kelvin|K]],<ref name=Limoges2015/> which is relatively cool for a white dwarf. As all [[white dwarf]]s steadily radiate away their heat over time, this temperature can be used to estimate its age, thought to be around 3&nbsp;billion years.<ref name=aj138_6_1681>{{citation | title=The White Dwarfs Within 20 Parsecs of the Sun: Kinematics and Statistics | display-authors=1 | last1=Sion | first1=Edward M. | last2=Holberg | first2=J. B. | last3=Oswalt | first3=Terry D. | last4=McCook | first4=George P. | last5=Wasatonic | first5=Richard | journal=The Astronomical Journal | volume=138 | issue=6 | pages=1681–1689 | date=December 2009 | doi=10.1088/0004-6256/138/6/1681 | bibcode=2009AJ....138.1681S | arxiv=0910.1288 | s2cid=119284418 | postscript=. }}</ref> It was originally thought to be an [[F-type star]] before the properties of white dwarfs were known.<ref name=Holberg2009>{{citation
 | title=The Discovery of the Existence of White Dwarf Stars: 1862 to 1930
 | last=Holberg | first=J. B. | postscript=.
 | journal=Journal for the History of Astronomy
 | volume=40 | issue=2 | pages=137–154 | date=May 2009
 | doi=10.1177/002182860904000201 | bibcode=2009JHA....40..137H | s2cid=117939625 }}</ref><ref name="van_maanen">{{citation | last=van Maanen | first=A. | title=Two Faint Stars with Large Proper Motion | journal=Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific |date=December 1917 | volume=29 | issue=172 | pages=258–259 | bibcode=1917PASP...29..258V | doi=10.1086/122654 | doi-access=free | postscript=. }}</ref>

Due to the dimness of these stars, the constellation is essentially invisible in or near any major city due to [[light pollution]].

=== Deep-sky objects ===

[[Messier 74|M74]] is a loosely wound (type Sc) [[spiral galaxy]] in Pisces, found at a distance of 30 million light years ([[redshift]] 0.0022). It has many clusters of young stars and the associated [[nebula]]e, showing extensive regions of [[star formation]]. It was discovered by [[Pierre Méchain]], a French astronomer, in 1780. A [[type II-P supernova]] was discovered in the outer regions of M74 by [[Robert Evans (astronomer)|Robert Evans]] in June 2003; the star that underwent the supernova was later identified as a [[red supergiant]] with a mass of 8 [[solar mass]]es.<ref name="Wilkins Dunn 2006" /> It is the brightest member of the [[M74 Group]].<ref>
{{cite book
 | author=R. B. Tully
 | date=1988
 | title=Nearby Galaxies Catalog
 | publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]
 | isbn=978-0-521-35299-4
}}</ref><ref name="garcia1993">
{{cite journal
 | author=A. Garcia
 | date=1993
 | title=General study of group membership. II – Determination of nearby groups
 | journal=[[Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement]]
 | volume=100 | pages=47–90
 | bibcode=1993A&AS..100...47G
}}</ref><ref name="giuricinetal2002">
{{cite journal
 | author=G. Giuricin | author2=C. Marinoni | author3=L. Ceriani | author4=A. Pisani
 | date=2000
 | title=Nearby Optical Galaxies: Selection of the Sample and Identification of Groups
 | journal=[[Astrophysical Journal]]
 | volume=543
 | issue=1 | pages=178–194
 | bibcode=2000ApJ...543..178G
 | doi=10.1086/317070
|arxiv = astro-ph/0001140 | s2cid=9618325 }}</ref>

[[NGC 488]] is an isolated face-on prototypical spiral galaxy.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Sil'chenko, O. K.|title=Chemically decoupled nucleus and the structure of the nuclear region in the spiral galaxy NGC 488|journal=Astronomy Letters|date=March 1999|volume=25|issue=3|pages=140–8|url=http://cdsads.u-strasbg.fr/abs/1999AstL...25..140S|access-date=29 December 2015|bibcode = 1999AstL...25..140S }}</ref> Two supernovae have been observed in the galaxy.<ref>[http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/lists/Supernovae.html List of Supernovae] ''[[IAU]] Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams''. Retrieved 29 December 2015.</ref>

[[NGC 520]] is a pair of colliding galaxies located 105 million light-years away.<ref name=NGC520dist>{{cite journal
 | last1=Cappellari | first1=Michele | last2=Emsellem | first2=Eric
 | last3=Krajnović | first3=Davor | last4=McDermid | first4=Richard M.
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 | last7=Young | first7=Lisa M. | last8=Alatalo | first8=Katherine
 | last9=Bacon | first9=R. | last10=Blitz | first10=Leo
 | last11=Bois | first11=Maxime | last12=Bournaud | first12=Frédéric
 | last13=((Bureau)) | first13=M. | last14=Davies | first14=Roger L.
 | last15=Davis | first15=Timothy A. | last16=de Zeeuw | first16=P. T.
 | last17=Duc | first17=Pierre-Alain | last18=Khochfar | first18=Sadegh
 | last19=Kuntschner | first19=Harald | last20=Lablanche | first20=Pierre-Yves
 | last21=Morganti | first21=Raffaella | last22=Naab | first22=Thorsten
 | last23=Oosterloo | first23=Tom | last24=Sarzi | first24=Marc
 | last25=Serra | first25=Paolo | last26=Weijmans | first26=Anne-Marie
 | title=The ATLAS<sup>3D</sup> project - I. A volume-limited sample of 260 nearby early-type galaxies: science goals and selection criteria
 | display-authors=1 | journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
 | volume=413 | issue=2 | pages=813–836 | date=May 2011
 | arxiv=1012.1551 | bibcode=2011MNRAS.413..813C
 | doi=10.1111/j.1365-2966.2010.18174.x | doi-access=free | s2cid=15391206 }}</ref>

CL 0024+1654 is a massive [[galaxy cluster]] that [[gravitational lensing|lenses]] the galaxy behind it, creating arc-shaped images of the background galaxy. The cluster is primarily made up of yellow [[elliptical galaxy|elliptical]] and spiral galaxies, at a distance of 3.6 billion light-years from Earth (redshift 0.4), half as far away as the background galaxy, which is at a distance of 5.7 billion light-years (redshift 1.67).<ref name="Wilkins Dunn 2006" />
<ref>{{cite book|last1 = Wilkins |first1 = Jamie |last2 = Dunn |first2 = Robert |date = 2006 |title = 300 Astronomical Objects: A Visual Reference to the Universe
 |edition = 1st |publisher = Firefly Books |location = Buffalo, New York |isbn = 978-1-55407-175-3}}</ref>

[[3C 31]] is an [[active galaxy]] and [[Astronomical radio source|radio source]] in Perseus 237 million light-years from Earth (redshift 0.0173). Its jets, caused by the [[supermassive black hole]] at its center, extend several million light-years in opposing directions, making them some of the largest objects in the universe.

== History and mythology ==
[[File:Sidney Hall - Urania's Mirror - Pisces.jpg|thumb|300px|left|From ''[[Urania's Mirror]]'' (1824)]]
Pisces originates from some composition of the [[Babylonian constellation]]s ''Šinunutu<sub>4</sub>'' "the great swallow" in current western Pisces, and ''[[Annunitum|Anunitum]]'' the "Lady of the Heaven", at the place of the northern fish. In the first-millennium BC texts known as the ''[[Astronomical Diaries]]'', part of the constellation was also called '''DU.NU.NU''' (''Rikis-nu.mi'', "the fish cord or ribbon").<ref>[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1998JBAA..108....9R Origins of the ancient constellations: I. The Mesopotamian traditions] by J. H. Rogers 1998, [http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-iarticle_query?bibcode=1998JBAA..108....9R&db_key=AST&page_ind=10&plate_select=NO&data_type=GIF&type=SCREEN_GIF&classic=YES page 19] [http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-iarticle_query?bibcode=1998JBAA..108....9R&db_key=AST&page_ind=18&plate_select=NO&data_type=GIF&type=SCREEN_GIF&classic=YES page 19 (table 3, rows 2-3) and page 27]</ref>

=== Greco-Roman period ===
Pisces is associated with the Greek legend that [[Aphrodite]] and her son [[Eros]] either shape-shifted into forms of fishes to escape, or were rescued by two fishes.

In the Greek version according to [[Gaius Julius Hyginus|Hyginus]], Aphrodite and Eros while visiting [[Syria]] fled from the monster [[Typhon]] by leaping into the [[Euphrates River]] and transforming into fishes (''[[Poeticon astronomicon]]'' 2.30, citing Diognetus Erythraeus).{{sfnp|Hard|2015|pp=84–85}} The Roman variant of the story has [[Venus (mythology)|Venus]] and [[Cupid]] (counterparts for Aphrodite and Eros) carried away from this danger on the backs of two fishes ([[Ovid]] ''[[Fasti]]'' 2.457ff).{{sfnp|Hard|2015|pp=85–86}}<ref name=ovid-fasti-tr-nagle/>

There is also a different origin tale that Hyginus preserved in another work. According to this, an egg rolled into the Euphrates, and some fishes nudged this to shore, after which the doves sat on the egg until Aphrodite (thereafter called the [[Syrian Goddess]]) hatched out of it. The fishes were then rewarded by being placed in the skies as a constellation (''[[Fabulae]]'' 197).<ref name=rigoglioso/>{{sfnp|Ridpath|1988|p=108}} This story is also recorded by the [[Third Vatican Mythographer]].<ref name=van-berg/>

=== Modern period ===
[[File:Pisces - Prodromus astronomiae 1690 (5590556).jpg|thumb|250px|Pisces in Hevelius's map (1690). As with all Hevelius's figures this one is shown as seen on a globe, so appears a mirror image by comparison with the sky]]
In 1690, the astronomer [[Johannes Hevelius]] in his ''Firmamentum Sobiescianum'' regarded the constellation Pisces as being composed of four subdivisions:<ref name="Hevelius" /><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/piscesbodehevelius.html | title=Pisces as depicted by Bode and Hevelius |publisher=Ian Ridpath’s Star Tales (online edition) |access-date=5 May 2025}}</ref>
* '''Piscis Boreus''' (the North Fish): σ – 68 – 65 – 67 – ψ<sup>1</sup> – ψ<sup>2</sup> – ψ<sup>3</sup> – χ – φ – υ – 91 – τ – 82 – 78 Psc.
* '''Linum Boreum''' (the North Cord):<ref name="Hevelius" /> χ – ρ,94 – VX(97) – η – π – ο – [[Alpha Piscium|α]] Psc.
* '''Linum Austrinum''' (the South Cord):<ref name="Hevelius" /> α – ξ – ν – μ – ζ – ε – δ – 41 – 35 – ω Psc.
* '''Piscis Austrinus''' (the South Fish):<ref name="Hevelius" /> ω – ι – θ – 7 – β – 5 – κ,9 – λ – TX(19) Psc.

"[[Piscis Austrinus]]" now refers to a separate constellation in its own right, which Hevelius and Bode called Piscis Notius.

In 1754, the botanist and author [[John Hill (author)|John Hill]] proposed to sever a southern zone of Pisces as '''Testudo''' (the Turtle).<ref name=allen/> 24 – 27 – YY(30) – 33 – 29 Psc.,<ref name=ciofi>Ciofi, Claudio; Torre, Pietro, [http://astrocultura.uai.it/mitologia/antiche/costellazioniperdute2.htm Costellazioni Estinte (nate dal 1700 al 1800)]: Sezione di Ricerca per la Cultura Astronomica</ref> It would host a natural but quite faint [[Asterism (astronomy)|asterism]] in which the star 20&nbsp;Psc is the head of the turtle. While [[William Henry Smyth|Admiral Smyth]] mentioned the proposal,<ref>Smyth, W. H., (1884) ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=aEo1AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA23 The Bedford Catalogue]'', p. 23</ref> it was largely neglected by other astronomers, and it is now [[Former constellations|obsolete]].<ref name=ciofi/>

===Western folklore===
The Fishes are in the German lore of Antenteh, who owned just a tub and a crude cabin when he met two magical fish. They offered him a wish, which he refused. However, his wife begged him to return to the fish and ask for a beautifully furnished home. This wish was granted, but her desires were not satisfied. She then asked to be a queen and have a palace, but when she asked to become a goddess, the fish became angry and took the palace and home, leaving the couple with the tub and cabin once again. The tub is sometimes recognized as the [[Great Square of Pegasus]].{{sfnp|Staal|1988|pp=45–46}}

=== In non-Western astronomy ===
The stars of Pisces were incorporated into several constellations in [[Chinese astronomy]]. Wai-ping ("Outer Enclosure") was a fence that kept a pig farmer from falling into the marshes and kept the pigs where they belonged. It was represented by Alpha, Delta, Epsilon, Zeta, Mu, Nu, and Xi Piscium. The marshes were represented by the four stars designated Phi Ceti. The northern fish of Pisces was a part of the House of the Sandal, Koui-siou.{{sfnp|Staal|1988|pp=45–47}}

==See also==
*[[List of star names in Pisces]]
*[[Pisces (Chinese astronomy)]]

== References ==
{{Reflist
| colwidth = 30em
| refs =
<ref name=allen>{{cite book |author = Allen, R. H. |author-link = Richard Hinckley Allen |date = 1963 |title = [[Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning]] |edition = [[Reprint]] |publisher = [[Dover Publications]] Inc. |location = [[New York City|New York]], [[New York (state)|NY]] |isbn = ((978-0-486-21079-7)) |page = [https://archive.org/details/starnamestheirlo00alle/page/163 163 342] }}</ref>

<ref name=van-berg>{{cite book|last=Van Berg|first=Paul-Louis |author-link=<!--Paul-Louis Van Berg--> |title=Corpus Cultus Deae Syriae - Ccds: Les Sources Litteraires - Repertoire Des Sources Grecques Et Latines - Sauf Le De Dea Syria - |publisher=Brill Archive |year=1972 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k9cUAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA37 |pages=37–38 |isbn=9-789-00403-503-4 |language=fr}}</ref>

<ref name="Hevelius">
[[Johannes Hevelius|Hevelius, J.]], (1690) ''Firmamentum Sobiescianum'', [[Leipzig]], Fig.NN
</ref>

<ref name=ovid-fasti-tr-nagle>{{cite book|author=Publius Ovidius Naso |author-link=Publius Ovidius Naso |translator=Betty Rose Nagle |translator-link=<!--Betty Rose Nagle--> |title=Ovid's Fasti: Roman Holidays |publisher=[[Indiana University Press]] |year=1995 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zbbwL_ON44oC&pg=PA69 |pages=69–70, 182|isbn=9-780-25320-933-7}}</ref>

<ref name=rigoglioso>{{cite book|last=Rigoglioso |first=Marguerite |author-link=<!--Marguerite Rigoglioso--> |title=The Cult of Divine Birth in Ancient Greece |publisher=Springer |year=2009 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ifrHAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA148 |page=248 |isbn=978-0-230-62091-9}}</ref>

<ref name="Wilkins Dunn 2006">
{{cite book|last1 = Wilkins |first1 = Jamie |last2 = Dunn |first2 = Robert |date = 2006 |title = 300 Astronomical Objects: A Visual Reference to the Universe
 |edition = 1st |publisher = Firefly Books |location = Buffalo, New York |isbn = 978-1-55407-175-3}}</ref>
 
}}

==Sources==
* {{cite book|last=Ridpath |first=Ian |author-link=Ian Ridpath |title=Star Tales |publisher=James Clarke & Co. |year=1988   |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gFrdcTdeVaEC&pg=PA108 |isbn=978-0-718-82695-6}}
* {{cite book|last1=Ridpath |first1=Ian |author-link1=Ian Ridpath |last2=Tirion | first2=Wil |author-link2=Wil Tirion |date = 2007 |title = Stars and Planets Guide |publisher = [[Princeton University Press]] |edition = 4th |isbn = 978-0-691-13556-4 }}
* {{cite book|ref={{SfnRef|Hard|2015}}|author1=Eratosthenes |author2=Hyginus |author3=Aratus |editor-last=Hard |editor-first=Robin |editor-link=<!--Robin Hard--> |title=Constellation Myths: with Aratus's Phaenomena |publisher=OUP Oxford |year=2015  |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e8arCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA84 |pages=83–85 |isbn=978-0-191-02652-2}}
* Richard Hinckley Allen, ''Star Names, Their Lore and Legend'', [[New York City|New York]], Dover: various dates.
* {{cite book |last=Staal |first=Julius D. W. |author-link=<!--Julius D. W. Staal--> |date = 1988 | title = The New Patterns in the Sky: Myths and Legends of the Stars | publisher = The McDonald and Woodward Publishing Company |isbn = 978-0-939923-04-5 }}
* Thomas Wm. Hamilton, ''Useful Star Names'', Strategic Books, 2008.

== External links ==
{{Commons and category|Pisces|Pisces (constellation)}}
* [http://www.allthesky.com/constellations/pisces/ The Deep Photographic Guide to the Constellations: Pisces]
* [http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/pisces.html Ian Ridpath's Star Tales – Pisces]
* [https://iconographic.warburg.sas.ac.uk/category/vpc-taxonomy-017070 Warburg Institute Iconographic Database (medieval and early modern images of Pisces)]
{{Stars of Pisces}}
{{Constellations}}
{{Zodiac}}
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[[Category:Pisces (constellation)| ]]
[[Category:Constellations]]
[[Category:Equatorial constellations]]
[[Category:Constellations listed by Ptolemy]]