The first of December, Andromeda is seen nearly overhead, south of Cassiopeia. The constellation is marked by a row of three second-magnitude stars, beginning on the east with Alpheratz and terminating near Perseus with Almaack. The central star is named Mirach. A few degrees north-west of Mirach glimmers the great Andromeda nebula. Below Andromeda, west of the meridian, appears the zodiacal constellation Aries, the Ram, indicated by a group of three stars, forming a triangle, the brightest of which is called Hamal. South-westerly from Aries is the zodiacal constellation Pisces, the Fishes, which consists mainly of faint stars arranged in pairs and running far toward the west along the course of the ecliptic, which crosses the equator at the vernal equinox, near the western end of the constellation. South of Pisces and Aries is the broad constellation Cetus, the Whale, marked by a number of large quadrilateral and pentagonal figures, formed by its stars. Near the centre of this constellation, but not ordinarily visible to the naked eye, is the celebrated variable Mira, also known as Omicron Ceti.