| Name and Etymology | |
|---|---|
| Name | Aries |
| Translation | Ram |
| Abbreviation | Ari |
| Genitive | Arietis |
| Position and Location | |
|---|---|
| Right Ascension | 03h 00m 00s |
| Declination | +20 00' 00" |
| Bordering Constellations | Cetus Perseus Pisces Taurus Triangulum |
| Aries is the second smallest constellation of the Ecliptic, and constituted of three lusterless stars, it claims a history that go back far in time. It is seen as a Ram, an animal that is highly appreciated to the Nomadic tribes and in the Middle East and later by more immobile agricultural people who kept livestock. 6000 years ago, our Sun was in this constellation on the winter soltice, which for some civilizations marked the beginning of a new year. It is unknown, however, whether this group of stars was identified as that long ago. By about 1800 B.C.E., because of the apparent shifting of the sky due to the precession, the Sun came to be in Aries in the beginning of the Spring season, to which most cultures announced the start of the new year (as it did in Europe until the very change of the Julian to Gregorian calender at the end of the 16th century). Since the second century B.C.E., when the astronomer Hipparchus formed the very first extensive mapping of the night sky, the Vernal Equinox and the point in the sky where the Sun resides at that instant had been known at that time as the "First Point of Aries." Howvever, due to the slow movement of the axis of the Earth pertaining to the equinoxes, the Sun today is actually in the constellation Pisces at the first part of Spring and does enter Aries until April 19. According to history, during the Egyptian Era of the new Kingdom, which dates back to about 16th century B.C.E, might have started to recognize this primordial group of stars as a Ram. |
 Aries as depicted in Urania's Mirror, a set of constellation cards published in London c.1825 |
 Aries, the ram with the golden fleece, from the Atlas Coelestis of John Flamsteed. |
Notable Features Aries is not a bright constellation and therefore is void of very bright stars. If it were not because of the Ecliptic, it might have been nulled as a constellation period. Meteor Showers Although it lacks bright stars and deep sky objects, however Aries is home to a several number of meteor showers. Unfortunately, none of these showers are of great interest for amateur astronomers. The May Arietids and the Epsilon Arietids are daylight meteor showers. The first is active throughout the month of May and into the beginning part of June. The peak activity occurs in the middle part of May from a radiant located seven degrees southeast of Hamal. The other spans from the latter part of April and extends to the better end of May of each year. The peak of the shower is achieved around the second week of May. Stars Hamal, which is transcribed from the Arabic phrase meaning "The head of the sheep," is a second magnitude star and therefore is the brightest star in the constellation. Sheratan shines at magnitude of nearly 2.6 and it is situated some 60 light years from our solar system. Mesarthim is an easily resolveable double star that shines at a magnitude of around 3.9. 53 Arietis is a Fifth magnitude "Runaway star", distinguished by high spatial speeds and a large proper motion through space. |
| Bright Star | Magnitude |
| Hamal | 2.00 |
| Sheratan | 2.62 |
| 41 Arietis | 3.59 |
| Mesarthim | 3.87 |
| Botein | 4.34 |
| Galaxies NGC 772 is the constellation's brightest galaxy. It is decribed as a faint spiral galaxy possessing a spiral arm in the northwestern part of the galaxy. |
| Deep Sky Object | Object Type |
| NGC 772 | Galaxy |
| NGC 821 | Galaxy |
| NGC 972 | Galaxy |
| NGC 691 | Galaxy |
