Constellation, Ram
Aries
The ram with the golden fleece, from the Greek tale of Phrixus and Helle. It gave its name to the First Point of Aries, the starting point of the sky’s coordinates.
From New York on October 13, 2026, the centre of Aries rises at 6:28 PM, is highest at 2:02 AM (74° above the horizon in the S) and sets at 9:36 AM.
In the 3D sky
The sky over New York turned towards Aries. Drag to look around.
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Evening visibility over the year
Height of the constellation’s centre above the horizon at 10 pm local time on the 15th of each month, from New York. Above about 30° it is well placed.
Name and history
In Greek myth this is the ram with the golden fleece. Phrixus and his sister Helle were in danger from their stepmother Ino, who tricked their father into preparing to sacrifice Phrixus. Their mother Nephele sent a winged ram to carry them to safety. Helle lost her grip and fell into the strait between Europe and Asia, named the Hellespont after her. Phrixus reached Colchis, and the ram’s fleece later became the prize sought by Jason and the Argonauts. Mythographers said the ram looks faint in the sky because its shining fleece stayed on Earth.
When the Greek astronomer Hipparchus fixed the March equinox, around 130 BC, it lay in Aries. That point is still called the First Point of Aries, although precession has since carried it into Pisces. Hamal, its brightest star, comes from the Arabic for lamb. Sheratan comes from an Arabic word meaning a pair, perhaps two signs or two horns, and was first shared with its neighbour Mesarthim.
Sources: Ian Ridpath, Star Tales: Aries
Brightest stars
| Star | Designation | Magnitude | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hamal | α Ari | 2.01 | 66 light-years |
| Sheratan | β Ari | 2.64 | 59 light-years |
| Bharani | 41 Ari | 3.61 | 166 light-years |
| Mesarthim | γ2 Ari | 3.88 | 164 light-years |
| Botein | δ Ari | 4.35 | 170 light-years |
| HIP 15549 | HIP 15549 | 4.47 | 543 light-years |
| Lilii Borea | 39 Ari | 4.52 | 172 light-years |
| ε Ari | ε Ari | 4.63 | 333 light-years |
| 35 Ari | 35 Ari | 4.65 | 343 light-years |
| λ Ari | λ Ari | 4.79 | 129 light-years |
Facts
| Area | about 437 square degrees (39 of 88) |
|---|---|
| IAU abbreviation | Ari |
| Sky | Northern sky |
| Origin | Listed in Ptolemy’s Almagest, about AD 150, from older Greek tradition |
| Stars brighter than magnitude 5 | 12 |
| Centre (J2000) | 2.6 h, 24° |
Deep-sky objects
Galaxies, clusters and nebulae brighter than magnitude 9, from the OpenNGC catalogue. Most need binoculars or a telescope and a dark sky.
No deep-sky object brighter than magnitude 9.
Boundaries: International Astronomical Union, via Astronomy Engine. Areas are computed from the boundaries by sampling (within about one percent). Names and lines: Stellarium. Stars: HYG Database. Deep-sky objects: OpenNGC. Calculated with Astronomy Engine, an open-source library verified against the US Naval Observatory and NASA JPL. Data sources
How to use this page
Choose your place and a night at the top. The answer and the 3D view show where the constellation is, when it is highest and whether it rises at all from where you are. The chart shows its stars and lines, and the tables list its brightest stars and the deep-sky objects inside it.
Frequently asked questions
When is a constellation best seen?
When it is highest in a dark sky, which the page gives for the night you pick. Each constellation is best placed in a particular season, because the stars rise about four minutes earlier every night.
Why can I not see a constellation from my place?
Constellations far south of the celestial equator never rise from northern places, and those far north never rise from southern ones. The page says when this is the case.
What are the constellation boundaries?
The International Astronomical Union divides the sky into 88 areas with official boundaries. The stick figures are only a drawing aid, the boundaries say which constellation a point in the sky belongs to.
Related guides
- How to learn the constellationsStart with one bright pattern you cannot miss, use it as a signpost to its neighbours, and come back a month later: the sky will have turned, and you will know a little more of it.
- Altitude and azimuth: finding things in the skyTwo angles tell you exactly where to look: which direction, and how high.
- Light pollution and dark skies: the Bortle scaleFrom a city centre you can count a few dozen stars. From a truly dark site you can count a few thousand, with the Milky Way bright enough to cast a shadow. The Bortle scale puts a number on the difference.
- Binoculars for stargazing: what to buy and what to look atA pair of 7x50 or 10x50 binoculars shows the craters of the Moon, the moons of Jupiter, dozens of star clusters and the Andromeda Galaxy, for a fraction of the cost of a telescope.