The figure in the sky: north is up, east is to the left. Larger dots are brighter stars.

Constellation

Aries

The shape: a short, bent line of three stars.

The ram with the golden fleece – the “Golden Fleece” – was the goal of Jason and his Argonauts. More than 2,000 years ago the Sun stood in Aries at the start of spring; that is why this point is still called the “First Point of Aries” today.

The stars of the figure

From bright to faint. Brightness is given in magnitudes (mag): the smaller the number, the brighter the star.

Hamal · 2 mag
Sheratan · 2.64 mag
Mesarthim · 3.88 mag

In the 3D model

In the 3D model, under “Explore”, the sky dome shows when the constellation Aries can be seen above Switzerland. “Constellations in 3D” shows how far apart its stars really are.

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