Zodiacal Constellation Aries, Home to Six Gorgeous Galaxies
In the vast expanse of the night sky, one constellation that captures our attention is Aries, the ram. Located between Pisces and Taurus, Aries is a historic constellation best seen in the Northern Hemisphere during autumn and winter, and in the Southern Hemisphere during spring and summer.
This celestial ram holds a special place in Greek mythology, representing the ram with the golden fleece. But Aries is not just a figment of mythology; it's a real constellation with its own celestial treasures.
Aries is home to several fascinating galaxies. One such galaxy is NGC 877, an intermediate spiral galaxy located 2° south and 10° east from M74. It is the brightest member of the NGC 877 group of galaxies, around 115,000 lightyears across, and can be seen as a faint elliptical patch 1.5 arcminutes in length and about three quarters of an arcminute in width with a 250mm scope.
Another galaxy worth mentioning is M74, a face-on spiral galaxy located 1.3° and a fraction north of mag. +3.6 Eta (η) Piscium. It is much larger and brighter than our previous targets, thanks to its relatively close 32-million-lightyear distance.
Aries isn't generally regarded as a rich haven for amateur deep-sky jewels, but there are a few beautiful galaxies that can be seen near the Aries-Pisces border. Among these are NGC 772, NGC 891, and NGC 972, galaxies that can be spotted with the right equipment.
NGC 772, another unbarred spiral galaxy, is 2° south of NGC 691 and 2° east or 1.4° east-southeast from the double star mag. +3.9 Mesarthim (Gamma (γ) Arietis). It can be seen as an object that brightens to a star-like nucleus and is 3.5 x 1.5 arcminutes in size with a 300mm scope.
NGC 691, an unbarred spiral galaxy, can be found 1.5° south from 1 Arietis and is visible with a 150mm scope as a circular patch. A 250mm or larger scope reveals it to be around 2 arcminutes across and flattened into a wide oval.
Furthermore, NGC 697 can be seen through a 150mm scope as a faint elongated glow, 1.5-2.0 arcminutes long and roughly half that size wide, 1.7° north-northwest of mag. +2.6 Sheratan (Beta (β) Arietis) or 0.3° to the east of mag. +5.8 1 Arietis.
Aries is also significant because it lies along the ecliptic, which represents our view of the plane of the Solar System, as seen from Earth. As a result, planets such as Mars, Jupiter, or Uranus may sometimes be seen within the boundary of Aries.
In 2025, NASA made headlines when it released an image captured by the Psyche spacecraft, 290 million km (180 million miles) away, in which Earth and our Moon could be seen in Aries!
The brightest star in Aries is Hamal, which shines at magnitude +2.0. Hamal means 'the lamb' and it's the 50th brightest star in the sky. Along with Sheratan and Mesartim, Hamal forms a curved line that outlines the ram's head.
So, the next time you gaze up at the night sky, take a moment to appreciate the celestial beauty of Aries, the ram. Whether you're an amateur astronomer or just a stargazer, there's always something new to discover in this ancient constellation.
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