Wikipedia:Today's featured article/July 30, 2012



Aries is one of the constellations of the zodiac, located between Pisces to the west and Taurus to the east. Its name is Latin for ram, and its symbol is, representing a ram's horns. One of the 48 constellations described by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, Aries remains one of the 88 modern constellations today. A mid-sized constellation, it is ranked 39th overall with an area of 441 square degrees (1.1% of the celestial sphere). Though it specifically came to represent the ram whose fleece became the Golden Fleece in Ancient Greece, it had represented a ram since late Babylonian times. Before that, the stars of Aries formed a farmhand. The stars that comprise Aries were incorporated into different constellations in different cultures, including twin inspectors in China and a porpoise in the Marshall Islands. Aries is a relatively dim constellation, possessing only three bright stars: Hamal (Alpha Arietis, second magnitude), Sheratan (Beta Arietis, third magnitude), and Mesartim (Gamma Arietis, fourth magnitude). The few deep-sky objects are quite faint and include several pairs of interacting galaxies. Several meteor showers radiate from Aries, including the Daytime Arietids and the Epsilon Arietids. (more...)

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