Precession moves the sky roof ahead in the year with around 1 day for each 71 years. This means the line of the March equinox will slowly drift towards earlier and earlier stars. My astronomy book has 'the first point of Aries' (0h) about 1½ days before the heliacal rising of Sirrah at 0h 06m (= ca RA day 6 / 1140 * 365¼ = 1.5):  I have then reduced this value (RA day 1.5) to 0.5, which I think should be more in line with the RA day when the rongorongo tablets were created:
The equator in the sky (0º) and the ecliptic path of the Sun are crossing each other at the March equinox (0h) - 'the first point of Aries' (or 'the navel of the mare'). But at this time of the year the ecliptic lies below the stars normally marked out for the Pisces figure. Not until Revati (ζ) would the ecliptic path of Sun reach the band which keeps the southern of the fishes in its place:
Revati will not be at 0h until far in the future, around 16.9 * 71 = ca 1200 years ahead. And Alrisha (the knot) could be regarded as the natural end of the Era of Pisces around 29.2 * 71 = ca 2075 years later than 1870 A.D. The Knot star (Alrisha) is close to the equator of the sky and the bands of Pisces are anchored at the neck of Cetus, a suitable end for the Fishes, as if they were drawn down below the ecliptic:
|
