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east of the great square called Pegasus lays the constellation of
Aries. Most visible in the autumn sky, we can locate easiest the
3 main stars, which make up Aries, the brightest of which is Hamal.
The stars which form the horns and nose lies just west of Pleiades
and is about 6 degrees of celestial latitude north of the ecliptic. |
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The ancients characterised Aries in art as the Ram looking backwards,
depicting him watching Taurus and the other eleven signs that follow
him in the zodiac. |
History
Aries is one of the oldest of all constellations. The ancient Babylonians,
Egyptians, Persians and Greeks all called this group of stars "The Ram."
It is the Zodiac's first constellation since the Sun, at one time, was
entering Aries on the day of the vernal equinox...the moment when it crosses
from the southern to the northern half of the celestial sphere. However,
because of the Earth's precession, the Sun is now in Pisces at the vernal
equinox. Nevertheless, Aries is still considered to be the symbolic first
constellation of the Zodiac and Right Ascension continues to be measured
from the first point of Aries.
Other constellations found in the vicinity of Aries include Perseus, Triangulum,
Andromeda, Pisces (to the west), Cetus the Whale (to the south) and the
Pleiades. It lies along the ecliptic between Aldberan, the eye of Taurus
(to the east) and the Square of Pegasus. It may be seen in the Northern
Hemisphere during the late winter and early spring. The constellation
itself is well known and not difficult to locate in the night sky, but
has few objects of interest. Lying between the constellations of Taurus
and Pisces, Aries is visible in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres
from September through February. The head of the ram is marked by the
first bright star due west of the Pleiades (a cluster of seven stars in
Taurus). This star is Alpha Arietis, known as Hamal (from the Arabic for
"lamb"). Just to the southwest lie two bright stars, Beta and
Gamma Arietis (also known as Sheratan and Mesarthim), which represent
the ram's horns. To the northeast of Hamal is a somewhat dimmer star that
marks the ram's back, and southeast of that point is Delta Arietis (also
known as Botein), which represents the tail.
Mythology
Aries has Athena/Minerva as its guardian Goddess. She is the Goddess
of wisdom. Although a martial Goddess, her most characteristic attribute
is her practical intelligence and she is the patroness, inspirer and
teacher of all specialised workers and artists.
When we include the fainter stars in the constellation that are visible
to the naked eye, the area resembles the head of a ram, having a general
herbivore head shape and a spiral horn.
In Greek mythology, this is believed to represent the ram which carried
Athamas's son Phrixus and daughter Helle to Colchis to escape their
stepmother Ino. Helle fell off into the sea which later became the Hellespont.
On reaching safety, Phrixis (rather ungratefully) sacrificed the ram
and hung its fleece in the Grove of Ares, where it turned to gold and
later became the quest of Jason and the Argonauts. It appears that Babylonians,
Greeks, Persians and Egyptians all agreed on the name of the Ram for
this constellation.
The main area of the sky constituting the sign of Aries, containing
part of Pisces, the Pleiades, and the constellation of Andromeda, may
be the origin of the myth of the girdle of Hippolyte, which forms part
of The Twelve Labours of Herakles.
Astrology
The Western astrological sign Aries of the tropical zodiac (March 21–April 19) differs from the astronomical constellation and the Hindu astrological sign of the sidereal zodiac (April 19 - May 13).
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In some cosmologies, Aries is associated with the classical element Fire, and thus called a fire sign (along with Sagittarius and Leo). It is the domicile of Mars and the exaltation of the Sun. It is also one of the four Cardinal signs (along with Libra, Capricorn, and Cancer). Its polar opposite is Libra. Each astrological sign is assigned a part of the body, viewed as the seat of its power. Aries rules the head. The symbol for Aries is the ram.
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