Aries
Aries, once the starting point of the zodiac. The hide of the golden ram that rescued two children later became the goal of the Argonauts.
Science
The scienceAries is a small constellation with only three bright stars, yet it holds a very important place in the history of astronomy. About 2,000 years ago, the "vernal equinox," where the Sun crosses the celestial equator in spring, lay here in this constellation. That is why the vernal equinox is still called the "First Point of Aries," even though the precession of Earth's axis has since carried it into neighboring Pisces. The third star, Mesarthim, is one of the first binary stars ever confirmed through a telescope, discovered by Robert Hooke in 1664.
Mythology
How it became a constellationThis is the story of a flying ram with a golden fleece. Sent by the gods to rescue the siblings Phrixus and Helle, who faced sacrifice through their stepmother's scheme, the ram carried the two children on its back and flew through the sky. Along the way Helle fell into the sea (which became the Hellespont), but Phrixus arrived safely in Colchis. Offered up in thanks, this ram's "Golden Fleece" later became the legendary treasure sought by the hero Jason and the Argonauts.
Observing Guide
how to observe🔭 How to find it
On autumn evenings, look for Aries in the rather empty patch of sky between the Great Square of Pegasus and the Pleiades cluster (in Taurus). Follow the two stars that form the right-hand side of the Great Square downward, and you'll pass through Pisces and arrive at Aries, where the two stars Hamal and Sheratan trace a short line with a slight kink. Those two stars, plus Mesarthim a little way off, make up almost the whole constellation — so once you know it, Aries is actually easy to pick out.
✨ What to look for
Aries has almost no bright deep-sky objects, so honestly it's a thin constellation for telescopic sights. The one thing that stands out is the face-on spiral galaxy NGC 772 (about magnitude 10), which needs a large telescope and a dark sky. The third star, Mesarthim (γ Ari), is a lovely double star made of two components of similar brightness sitting side by side — well worth splitting even in a small telescope.
📍 Where to see it (US · Canada · UK · Australia)
With its stars in the mid-+20° range, Aries is an autumn constellation for northern observers. From the US, Canada, and the UK it climbs high across the southern evening sky from October through December, well clear of horizon haze, though by spring it's lost in the Sun's glare. From Australia it appears the other way up — low to moderate in the northern sky during the southern spring — but is still easy to see.