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? I have not covered all 88 modern constellations yet, but I have made some progress. 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.

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 Mer-Goat	Aquarius Water-Bearer	Pisces Fish

New constellation symbols

Andromeda Princess	Aquila Eagle	Auriga Charioteer	Boötes Herdsman	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	Coma Berenices Berenice's Hair
Corona Australis Southern Crown	Corona Borealis Northern Crown	Corvus Crow	Crater Cup	Crux Southern Cross
Cygnus Swan	Delphinus Dolphin	Draco Dragon	Equuleus Little Horse	Eridanus River
Hercules Hero	Hydra Female Water-Snake	Hydrus Male Water-Snake	Lacerta Lizard	Leo Minor Little Lion
Lepus Rabbit	Lupus Wolf	Lynx Lynx	Lyra Lyre	Monoceros Unicorn
Norma Carpenter's Square	Octans Octant	Orion Hunter	Pavo Peacock	Pegasus Winged Horse
Perseus Hero	Piscis Austrinus Southern Fish	Puppis Poop Deck	Pyxis Compass-Box	Sagitta Arrow
Scutum Shield	Serpens Snake	Sextans Sextant	Triangulum Triangle	Triangulum Australe Southern Triangle
Tucana Toucan	Ursa Major Great Bear	Ursa Minor Little Bear	Vela Sail	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.
• 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".
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Constellations in context

Northern Hemisphere

Southern Hemisphere

Full-sky map: rect_edges.pdf