New Constellation Symbols

Calligraphic version | Fixed-width version

There are symbols for the twelve classical constellations of the zodiac, which are primarily used for astrological purposes. Two symbols have been proposed for Ophiuchus, the thirteenth constellation of the zodiac - one in general use in Japanese astrology and the other based on the rod of Aesclepius.

For the book One Hundred Year Star-Diary, I created symbols for a number of meteor showers. My symbols for the showers that emanate from zodiacal constellations were based on the symbols for those constellations. For the other ones, I created new constellation symbols - representing Lyra, Orion, Perseus, Ursa Minor, and the obsolete constellation Quadrans Muralis.

Having created symbols for those constellations, I wondered - could I make symbols for the rest of them? Over the course of two years, I have done exactly that. In some cases a diagram of the star pattern made a good symbol - in other cases, I've illustrated the object, creature, or myth represented by the constellation. For the more recent constellations I have sometimes taken inspiration from the diagrams and drawings provided by the constellation's creator.

The constellations of the zodiac

Aries Ram	Taurus Bull	Gemini Twins	Cancer Crab
Leo Lion	Virgo Maiden	Libra Scales	Scorpio (Scorpius) Scorpion	Ophiuchus Snake-Holder
Sagittarius Archer	Capricorn (Capricornus) Mer-Goat	Aquarius Water-Bearer	Pisces Fish

New constellation symbols

Andromeda Princess	Antlia Air Pump	Apus Bird of Paradise	Aquila Eagle	Ara Altar
Auriga Charioteer	Boötes Herdsman	Caelum Chisel	Camelopardalis Giraffe	Canes Venatici Hunting Dogs
Canis Major Great Dog	Canis Minor Little Dog	Carina Keel	Cassiopeia Queen	Centaurus Centaur
Cepheus King	Cetus Sea-Monster	Chamaeleon Chameleon	Circinus (Drafting) Compass	Columba Dove
Coma Berenices Berenice's Hair	Corona Australis Southern Crown	Corona Borealis Northern Crown	Corvus Crow	Crater Cup
Crux Southern Cross	Cygnus Swan	Delphinus Dolphin	Dorado Dolphinfish	Draco Dragon
Equuleus Little Horse	Eridanus River	Fornax Furnace	Grus Crane	Hercules Hero
Horologium Clock	Hydra Female Water-Snake	Hydrus Male Water-Snake	Indus Indian	Lacerta Lizard
Leo Minor Little Lion	Lepus Rabbit	Lupus Wolf	Lynx Lynx	Lyra Lyre
Mensa Table Mountain	Microscopium Microscope	Monoceros Unicorn	Musca Fly	Norma Carpenter's Square
Octans Octant	Orion Hunter	Pavo Peacock	Pegasus Winged Horse	Perseus Hero
Phoenix Phoenix	Pictor Easel	Piscis Austrinus Southern Fish	Puppis Poop Deck	Pyxis Compass-Box
Reticulum Reticle	Sagitta Arrow	Sculptor Sculptor's Tools	Scutum Shield	Serpens Snake
Sextans Sextant	Telescopium Telescope	Triangulum Triangle	Triangulum Australe Southern Triangle	Tucana Toucan
Ursa Major Great Bear	Ursa Minor Little Bear	Vela Sail	Volans Flying Fish	Vulpecula Fox

Obsolete Constellations and Sub-Constellations

Quadrans Muralis Mural Quadrant

Serpens Caput Snake's Head

Serpens Cauda Snake's Tail

Notes for selected constellations:

• Aquila, Cassiopeia, Delphinus, Orion, Sagitta, Triangulum, Triangulum Australe, Ursa Major, and Ursa Minor all contain very distinctive star patterns. I've taken a few liberties with their shapes, especially with Triangulum Australe, to create symbols that are simple enough to be learnable and different from other astronomical and astrological symbols. (Triangulum Australe also contains the letter A.)

• Carina, Puppis, and Vela are the 3 parts of the obsolete constellation Argo Navis, the ship Argo. Their symbols fit together to make a picture of the Argo.
• Antlia, the Air Pump, was named by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille. Its symbol is based on Lacaille's original drawing of it in his Planisphere, published in 1756. Fornax, Reticulum, and Sculptor are also based on Lacaille's depictions.
• Cepheus was a possibly mythical king of the Phoenician kingdom of Aethiopia. His Greek name, Kepheus, means "gardener". His symbol combines a crown, a tree or flower, and the Phoenician letter for the "k" sound.
• Coma Berenices commemorates Queen Berenice of Egypt sacrificing her hair to Aphrodite. The symbol depicts a severed lock of hair.
• The symbols for Corona Australis and Corona Borealis, the Northern and Southern Crowns, are simply crowns containing the letters A and B respectively.
• Crux is a cross-shaped constellation visible in the southern hemisphere. It points toward the south pole, which is why its symbol has combined a cross and an arrow.
• Draco has a number of interpretations, many based on a dragon or serpent guarding a tree or other object.
• Hercules's symbol is based on the story of the "Pillars of Hercules".
• Horologium's right ascension is about 3 hours, so it's appropriate for its symbol to be showing 3:00.
• Hydra and Hydrus are female and male water-snakes in the north and south of the southern hemisphere, respectively. Their symbols have their heads facing north and south, and also slightly resemble the feminine Venus and masculine Mars symbols.
• Indus, the "Indian", was intended to represent a native of the Americas. In illustrations it has often been depicted as a man with a handful of arrows, so I've used those arrows as its symbol.
• Leo Minor's symbol is a simplification of Leo's symbol. Likewise, the symbol for Canis Minor is a simplification of Canis Major's symbol, with Canes Venatici being a further simplification. Vulpecula is a long-eared variant. Lupus is a larger "dog" with a tail, or maybe just a single ear.
• Lynx is so-named because it is faint and one would need "the eyesight of a lynx" to see it. The symbol is an eye with a feline vertical pupil.
• Mensa, which borders the Large Magellanic Cloud, is named for South Africa's often-cloud-covered Table Mountain.
• Piscis Austrinus, the Southern Fish, also contains an A.
• Quadrans Muralis is an obsolete constellation which depicts the astronomical instrument called a Mural Quadrant. It's included because it gives its name to the Quadrantids meteor shower.

Sightings

"Emoji" versions

Constellations in context

Northern Hemisphere

Southern Hemisphere

PDF: hemispheres.pdf

Full-sky map:

PDF: rect_edges.pdf