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
See the sightings page for a Chamaeleon tattoo
and other appearances of these constellation symbols in other people's work.
"Emoji" versions
"Emoji"-style constellation symbols
Constellations in context
Sky-maps by hemisphere:
 Northern Hemisphere |
 Southern Hemisphere |
PDF: hemispheres.pdf
Full-sky map:

PDF: rect_edges.pdf
This page was translated into Slovak by Sandra Knudsen.
Traditional constellation symbols are in the public domain.
Lyra, Orion, Perseus, Quadrans Muralis, Ursa Major, and Ursa Minor symbols
created by Denis Moskowitz and Alec Finlay for the book
One Hundred Year Star-Diary
and released to the public domain.
All other symbols created by Denis Moskowitz and released to the public domain.
This page first posted Jul 31 2008 by Denis Moskowitz. Last modified
Monday 2019-12-23.
Other new astro symbols