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Stars and Sticks| Abbreviation | PsA |
|---|---|
| Meaning | Southern Fish |
| Pronunciation Guide is based on “Pronouncing Astronomical Names,” published in 1943 by the American Astronomical Society. | PICE-iss aw-STRY-nus |
| Genitive The genitive is the Latin possessive form used in star names. For example, Alpha Orionis means “the Alpha of Orion.” | PYE-sis os-TRY-nye |
| Best Month | October |
| Visibility | Global |
| Origin | AncientThese figures are rooted in the classical Greek and Mesopotamian traditions cataloged by Ptolemy in the 2nd century AD. |
| Author | PtolemyPtolemy, a 2nd-century Greco-Egyptian astronomer, cataloged the 48 classical constellations in his landmark work, the Almagest. These form the core of the 88 modern constellations recognized today. |
| Type | constellation |
| Difficulty | Challenging |
| Description | The Southern Fish is one of the oldest constellations, recognized by the ancient Babylonians and Egyptians who depicted it drinking the water poured by Aquarius above. In Greek myth it is the parent of the two smaller fish in Pisces. Its one claim to fame is spectacular — it contains Fomalhaut, the 18th brightest star in the sky, a young blue-white star just 25 light-years away that was one of the first stars discovered to have a circumstellar debris disk. In 2008, Fomalhaut became the first star for which an exoplanet was directly photographed using the Hubble Space Telescope — a landmark moment in the history of astronomy. |
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Monthly sky charts courtesy of What's Out Tonight? — Copyright ©2026 Ken Graun. Star charts are optimized for mid-latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. Click a chart to view or download the PDF. For guidance on using the chart, or to purchase a planisphere and astronomy books, visit kenpress.com.
Images: NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/E. Slawik · IAU and Sky & Telescope · Stellarium — Full credits →
