As September nights cool and lengthen, the constellation of Pisces, the fishes, emerges in the eastern sky. The chart shows the view looking east from London at 9.30pm BST on 30 September, shortly after the full constellation has risen above the horizon.
As the autumn proceeds, the constellation will rise earlier and earlier. Pisces is one of the zodiacal constellations, meaning it crosses the sun’s annual path around the sky.
Pisces comprises faint stars, so finding it requires a bit of patience and a clear, dark sky. The constellation forms a V-shape with a loop at the end of each arm, representing each of the two fish. Its most notable feature is the “Circlet” asterism, a small ring of stars that forms the head of the western fish.
Representing two fish tied together by a cord, this symbolism hails from the classical Greco-Roman era when the constellation was associated with the legend of Aphrodite (Venus to the Romans) and her son Eros (Cupid). According to the Greek version, the pair shape-shifted into fish to escape the serpent-monster Typhon. In the Roman telling, the pair were carried to safety on the backs of two fish.
The constellation can also be seen from the southern hemisphere in the north-eastern evening sky.