dipper@utastro.UUCP (Debbie Byrd) (12/02/85)
The constellation Pisces is faint -- but graceful and beautiful. More -- after this. December 2: The Fish Even the kindest stargazers call the constellation Pisces "inconspicuous." Pisces is large, but its stars are extremely faint. You can't see it in any but the darkest skies. Pisces is shaped like a graceful letter"V". The two sides of the V represent two fish, the Northern and the Western Fish, supposedly tied to one another by ribbons through their tails. The Western Fish is slightly less elusive than its brother. Its head is marked by a small circlet of stars. But the brightest star in Pisces isn't in the circlet. It's at the tip of the V, or, in mythological terms, at the point that binds the fish together. Al Rischa is this star's name, and it's noteworthy primarily for the company it keeps. Although it takes a telescope to realize it, Al Rischa is actually two stars that orbit around each other once every 720 years. Because of their long orbital period, the stars have been seen in recent centuries to be moving closer to one another. Around 1700, observers could easily see both stars. Today, the gap between them is very narrow, and it'll continue to close until about 2075 A.D. Although many stargazers by-pass Pisces, the constellation has one undisputed claim to fame. Within its borders is the vernal equinox, the point where the sun crosses the celestial equator on its journey from south to north. When the sun reaches this point in Pisces, we celebrate the first day of spring. At the moment, Pisces may be the most looked-for constellation in the sky -- because Comet Halley is now in Pisces. The comet should be visible through binoculars -- highest in the sky around 8 p.m. Script by Deborah Byrd. (c) Copyright 1984, 1985 McDonald Observatory, University of Texas at Austin