Celestial Sea

The constellations of the zodiac were handed down to us from the cultures of the ancient Middle East, who drew these popular star figures thousands of years ago. At the time, the weeks around the winter solstice brought some of the heaviest rains of the year. So the stars that stood behind the Sun at the solstice became Aquarius, the water bearer — a man or boy pouring water from a jug. The Moon is passing through Aquarius tonight. The water bearer’s two brightest stars, Alpha and Beta Aquarii, are off to the upper right of the Moon. They’re so faint, though, that they’re tough to see through the brilliant moonlight. Aquarius is surrounded by other constellations with watery connections. In fact, that whole region of the sky is known as the Celestial Sea. It includes Capricornus, the sea goat, off to the west of Aquarius, and Pisces, the fish, to the east of Aquarius. It also includes a southern tier of constellations: Piscis Austrinus, the southern fish; Cetus, the whale or sea monste