Constellations · Constellation · Arietis · Ari
Constellation
Aries
The golden ram whose fleece Jason sailed to find. Two thousand years ago the Sun crossed the equator here in spring — the “First Point of Aries”.
- Genitive
- Arietis
- Area
- 441 square degrees · 39th of 88
- Brightest star
- Hamal · magnitude 2.01
- Naked-eye stars
- 85 brighter than magnitude 6.5
- Highest at midnight
- late October
Myth
The ram with the golden fleece rescued Phrixus and Helle from their stepmother; its fleece, hung in a sacred grove, was what the Argonauts went to steal.
History
Precession has since carried the spring equinox into Pisces, but astronomers and astrologers still call it the First Point of Aries.
Look for
Three stars in a bent line — Hamal, Sheratan and Mesarthim. Mesarthim is a pretty equal double in any small telescope.