The Heavenly Waters, a Family of Watery Constellations

The Heavenly Waters is not a single constellation but a traditional grouping, or family, of constellations connected by the theme of water, gathered together in the way astronomers sort the figures of the sky into related families. It brings under one heading the various watery figures, among them the celestial river Eridanus, the dolphin Delphinus, the little horse Equuleus, the southern fish Piscis Austrinus, and other nearby forms associated with the sea and with flowing water.

The grouping reflects the ancient tendency to place watery figures together in one quarter of the heavens, near the water-bearer and the fishes of the zodiac. In astronomical tradition these are patterns of stars rather than zodiac signs. These are the features of the Heavenly Waters as a constellation family as the tradition describes it, distinct from any astrological reading of the region of sky the group occupies.