National Research Council Canada
www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca
Common menu bar links
Institutional links
Aries (The Ram)
Information found on this page has been archived and is for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. Please visit NRC's new site for the most recent information.
Archived Content
Information identified as archived on the Web is for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It has not been altered or updated after the date of archiving. Web pages that are archived on the Web are not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards. As per the Communications Policy of the Government of Canada, you can request alternate formats by contacting us.
Constellations Visible in Canadian Skies
Select a constellation from the list below to learn more:
Aquarius
Aquila
Aries
Auriga
Boötes
Cancer
Canis Major
Canis Minor
Capricornus
Cassiopeia
Cygnus
Gemini
Hercules
Hydra
Libra
Leo
Lyra
Orion
Perseus
Pisces
Sagittarius
Scorpius
Taurus
Ursa Minor and Ursa Major
Virgo
Legend
Aries was a magical ram who could speak, think and fly. The god Hermes gave it to two children, Helle and Phrixus, who wanted to escape their evil stepmother. Helle fell off during the escape, but Phrixus made it to safety and sacrificed Aries to show his thanks. He gave Aries' fleece to King Aeetes, who set Draco the dragon to guard it. Eventually, Aries' Golden Fleece was stolen by Jason and the Argonauts.
Aries' brightest star is Hamal, which means "the lamb." It's one of the few stars that has had its apparent size measured. Most stars are so far away they appear as just a point of light, but astronomers have measured the size of Hamal to be 0.00680 arcseconds. That's the same size as a penny would seem to be if you held it 60 kilometres away!
