Who Discovered the Constellation Aries

Constellation Aries is found between Taurus and Pisces. When did this begin no one exactly knows. But the Greeks are widely believed to have put the vernal equinox in the constellation.

Constellation Aries according to Greek mythology

The most popular story about how Constellation Aries began is that of Phrinux and Helle.  Athamas, king of Poitia, and his wife Nephele had a son and daughter. The son was named Phrixus, the daughter Helle. Years later Athamas married a second wife named Ino. But Ino fell in love with Phrixus, who did not like her in return. Ino got so hurt by the rejection that she schemed to kill brother and sister. She planned to starve them to death. But Nephele sent a magical ram to rescue them. Phrixus survived, but Helle drowned during the rescue. Upon reaching home, the magic ram told Phrixus to offer him to the Gods. The boy obeyed and the ram found a place among the stars.

The Stars in the Constellation Aries

There are seven star clusters that make up Constellation Aries: Alpha Arietis, Gamma Arietis, Beta Arietis, Lambda Arietis, Pi Arietis, 30 Arietis, and 53 Arietis. They form the points that give the constellation a ram shape.

Alpha Arietis (or Hamal) is the brightest of them all. It is red and 50 times brighter and bigger than the sun. Gamma Arietis is made up of two stars. It is blue. Beta Arietis is smaller than Gamma Arietis and is 60 light years away. Lambda Arietis is further still at 133 light years away.  Pi Arietis is also a double star. It has a bluish tint.

Meanwhile 30 Arietis is very visible. It has a magnitude of 6.6. It is yellow. There is another star near it with a magnitude of 7.4. 53 Arietis is made up of  three stars that turn very fast. Experts believe 53 Arietis is part of a supernova.

Meteor showers in the Constellation Aries

There is small galaxy about 5.3 arc-minutes across Constellation Aries. It is believed to be a spiral galaxy. There are also a number of meteor showers around the constellation. One curious meter shower is called May Arietids. It occurs between May and June. Unlike most meter showers May Arietids happens during the day.

The two other visible showers are Epsilon Arietids and the Delta Arietids. The rest are too difficult to see.

Recent findings

Recently it has been proved that some of Constellation Aries’s stars have planets. A number of  new galaxies have also been discovered. Some of them are NGC 772, NGC 972, and NGC 1156.  They cannot be seen by the naked eye.

Constellation Aries is a spellbinding sight in the sky. According to astrology, people born under the sign of Aries are bold and optimistic.