Pisces

"The Fishes"

By IAU and Sky & Telescope magazine (Roger Sinnott & Rick Fienberg) [CC-BY-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Abbreviation: Psc
Genitive: Piscium
Constellation family: Zodiac
Nearest constellations: Andromeda, Aquarius, Aries, Cetus, Pegasus, and Triangulum
Right ascension: 0.86h
Declination: 11.08°
Visible between latitudes: +90° and -65°
Square degrees: 889
Luminary: Eta Piscium
Named stars: Alrescha, Fum al Samakah, and Torcularis Septentrionalis
Notable deep sky objects: M74

About

Pisces is a large constellation in the Northern Hemisphere that is best seen in November. It is one of the constellations of the zodiac and is the last of the 12 signs, after Aquarius and before Aries.

Sidney Hall [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

The two fish in Pisces used to be represented as facing (or swimming) in the same direction, but now they are more commonly depicted as pointing in opposite directions.

Mythology

In Greek mythology, Pisces represents Aphrodite and Eros (or Venus and Cupid in Roman mythology) who turned into fish to escape the monster Typhon when he appeared and threatened the gods.

Gallery of objects in Pisces

ZwCl 0024+1652 (galaxy cluster):

By NASA, ESA, M.J. Jee and H. Ford (Johns Hopkins University) [CC-BY-3.0], via ESA/Hubble

IRAS 01173+1405 (spiral galaxy CGCG436-030 in upper left plus companion galaxy in lower right):

By NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration and A. Evans (University of Virginia, Charlottesville/NRAO/Stony Brook University) [CC-BY-3.0], via ESA/Hubble

NGC 520 (interacting galaxies):

By NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration, and B. Whitmore (STScI) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

M74 ("The Phantom Galaxy") and surrounding region:

By NASA, ESA, and the Digitized Sky Survey 2, acknowledgement: Davide De Martin (ESA/Hubble) [CC-BY-3.0], via ESA/Hubble

A closer look at M74:

By NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration, acknowledgement: R. Chandar (University of Toledo) and J. Miller (University of Michigan) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons