Astronomical symbols are abstract pictorialsymbols used to representastronomical objects, theoretical constructs and observational events inEuropeanastronomy. The earliest forms of these symbols appear in Greekpapyrus texts of lateantiquity. TheByzantinecodices in which many Greek papyrus texts were preserved continued and extended the inventory of astronomical symbols.[2][3] New symbols have been invented to represent manyplanets andminor planets discovered in the 18th to the 21st centuries.
These symbols were once commonly used by professionalastronomers, amateur astronomers,alchemists, andastrologers. While they are still commonly used in almanacs and astrological publications, their occurrence in published research and texts on astronomy is relatively infrequent,[4] with some exceptions such as the Sun and Earth symbols appearing inastronomical constants, and certain zodiacal signs used to represent thesolstices andequinoxes.
Unicode has encoded many of these symbols, mainly in theMiscellaneous Symbols,[5]Miscellaneous Symbols and Arrows,[6]Miscellaneous Symbols and Pictographs,[7]Alchemical Symbols,[8] andMiscellaneous Symbols Supplement blocks.[9]
The use of astronomical symbols for the Sun and Moon dates to antiquity. The forms of the symbols that appear in the original papyrus texts of Greek horoscopes are a circle with one ray (.svg)
) for the Sun and a crescent for the Moon.[3] The modern Sun symbol, a circle with a dot (☉), first appeared in Europe in the Renaissance.[3]
![The symbol for the Sun in late Classical (4th c.) and medieval Byzantine (11th c.) manuscripts[10]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aSun_symbol_(late_classical_and_medieval_mss).png)
![The symbol for the Moon in a medieval Byzantine manuscript (11th c.). The late Classical appearance was similar.[10]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aMoon_symbol_(medieval_ms).png)
In modern academic writing, the Sun symbol is used for astronomical constants relating to the Sun.[11]Teff☉ represents the solareffective temperature, and the luminosity, mass, and radius of stars are often represented using the corresponding solar constants (L☉,M☉, andR☉, respectively) asunits of measurement.[12][13][14][15]
| Referent | Symbol | Unicode code point | Browser display | Represents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun | .svg) [16][17] | U+2609 (dec 9737) | ☉︎ | Standard astronomical symbol |
[3] | U+1F71A (dec 128794) | 🜚︎ | the Sun with one ray | |
 [18][19] | U+1F31E (dec 127774) | 🌞︎︎ | the face of the Sun or "Sun in splendor" |
| Referent | Symbol | Unicode code point | Browser text display[21] | Represents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moon | .svg) [22][23][24] | U+263D (dec 9789) | ☽︎ | an increscent (waxing) moon (as viewed from the northern hemisphere) |
.svg) [23][24] | U+263E (dec 9790) | ☾ | a decrescent (waning) moon (as viewed from the northern hemisphere) | |
| new moon |  [23][24] | U+1F311 (dec 127761) | 🌑︎ | fully dark |
 [18][25][26] | U+1F31A (dec 127770) | 🌚︎ | ||
| waxing crescent | .svg) | U+1F312 (dec 127762) | 🌒︎ | encrescent moon (northern hemisphere) |
| first-quarter (waxing) moon |  | U+1F313 (dec 127763) | 🌓︎ | one week into the month, half the visibleface illuminated |
 [27] or .svg) [18][25][26] | U+1F31B (dec 127771) | 🌛︎︎ | ||
| waxing gibbous | .svg) | U+1F314 (dec 127764) | 🌔︎ | (northern hemisphere) |
| full moon |  [23][24] | U+1F315 (dec 127765) | 🌕︎ | fully illuminated |
 [18][25][26] | U+1F31D (dec 127773) | 🌝︎︎ | ||
| waning gibbous | .svg) | U+1F316 (dec 127766) | 🌖︎ | (northern hemisphere) |
| last-quarter (waning) moon |  | U+1F317 (dec 127767) | 🌗︎ | final week of the month, the other half of the visible face illuminated |
 [27] or .svg) .svg) [18][25][26] | U+1F31C (dec 127772) | 🌜︎︎ | ||
| waning crescent | .svg) | U+1F318 (dec 127768) | 🌘︎ | decrescent moon (northern hemisphere) |
Symbols for theclassical planets appear in many medievalByzantine codices in which many ancient horoscopes were preserved.[2] The written symbols forMercury,Venus,Jupiter, andSaturn have been traced to forms found in late Greek papyrus texts.[10] The symbols for Jupiter and Saturn are identified asmonograms of the corresponding Greek names, and the symbol for Mercury is a stylizedcaduceus.[10] According toA.S.D. Maunder, antecedents of the planetary symbols were used in art to represent the gods associated with the classical planets;Bianchini'splanisphere, discovered by Francesco Bianchini in the 18th century, produced in the 2nd century,[28] shows Greek personifications of planetary gods charged with early versions of the planetary symbols: Mercury has acaduceus; Venus has, attached to her necklace, a cord connected to another necklace;Mars, a spear; Jupiter, a staff; Saturn, a scythe; theSun, acirclet with rays radiating from it; and the Moon, a headdress with a crescent attached.[29]
A diagram in Byzantine astronomer Johannes Kamateros's 12th centuryCompendium of Astrology shows the Sun represented by the circle with a ray, Jupiter by the letterZeta (the initial ofZeus, Jupiter's counterpart inGreek mythology), Mars by a shield crossed by a spear, and the remaining classical planets by symbols resembling the modern ones, without the cross-mark at the bottom of the modern versions of the symbols for Mercury and Venus. These cross-marks first appear around the 16th century. According to Maunder, the addition of crosses appears to be "an attempt to give a savour of Christianity to the symbols of the old pagan gods."[29]
![The symbol for Mercury in late Classical (4th c.) and medieval Byzantine (11th c.) manuscripts[10]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aMercury_symbol_(late_classical_and_medieval_mss).png)
![The symbol for Venus in late Classical (4th c.) and medieval Byzantine (11th c.) manuscripts[10]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aVenus_symbol_(late_classical_and_medieval_mss).png)
![The symbol for Mars in late Classical (6th c.) and medieval Byzantine (11th c.) manuscripts[10]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aMars_symbol_(late_classical_and_medieval_mss).png)
![The symbol for Jupiter in late Classical (4th c.) and medieval Byzantine (11th c.) manuscripts[10]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aJupiter_symbol_(late_classical_and_medieval_mss).png)
![The symbol for Saturn in late Classical (4th & 5th c.) and medieval Byzantine (11th c.) manuscripts – cf. kappa-rho, ⟨κρ⟩[10]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aSaturn_symbol_(late_classical_and_medieval_mss).png)
The symbols forUranus were created shortly after its discovery. One symbol,.svg)
, invented byJ. G. Köhler and refined byBode, was intended to represent the newly discovered metalplatinum; since platinum, commonly called white gold, was found by chemists mixed with iron, the symbol for platinum combines the alchemical symbols for the planetary elementsiron, ♂, andgold, ☉.[30][31] Another symbol,.svg)
, was suggested by Joseph Jérôme Lefrançois de Lalande in 1784. In a letter toWilliam Herschel, Lalande described it as"un globe surmonté par la première lettre de votre nom" ("a globe surmounted by the first letter of your name").[32] Today, Köhler's symbol is more common among astronomers, and Lalande's among astrologers, although it is not uncommon to see each symbol in the other context.[33]
Several symbols were proposed forNeptune to accompany the suggested names for the planet. Claiming the right to name his discovery,Urbain Le Verrier originally proposed the nameNeptune[34] and the symbol of atrident,[35] while falsely stating that this had been officially approved by the FrenchBureau des Longitudes.[34] In October, he sought to name the planetLeverrier, after himself, and he had loyal support in this from the observatory director,François Arago,[36] who in turn proposed a new symbol for the planet (.svg)
).[37] However, this suggestion met with stiff resistance outsideFrance.[36] French almanacs quickly reintroduced the nameHerschel forUranus, after that planet's discoverer SirWilliam Herschel, andLeverrier for the new planet.[38] ProfessorJames Pillans of theUniversity of Edinburgh defended the nameJanus for the new planet, and proposed a key for its symbol.[35] Meanwhile,German-RussianastronomerFriedrich Georg Wilhelm von Struve presented the nameNeptune on December 29, 1846, to theSaint Petersburg Academy of Sciences.[39] In August 1847, the Bureau des Longitudes announced its decision to follow prevailing astronomical practice and adopt the choice ofNeptune, with Arago refraining from participating in this decision.[40]
TheInternational Astronomical Union discourages the use of these symbols in journal articles, though they do occur.[41] In certain cases where planetary symbols might be used, such as in the headings of tables, theIAU Style Manual permits certain one- and (to disambiguate Mercury and Mars) two-letter abbreviations for the names of the planets.[42]
| Planet | IAU abbreviation | Symbol | Unicode code point | Browser display | Represents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | H, Me | .svg) [16][43] | U+263F (dec 9791) | ☿ | Mercury'scaduceus, with a cross[10] |
| Venus | V | .svg) [16][43] | U+2640 (dec 9792) | ♀ | PerhapsVenus's necklace or a (copper) hand mirror, with a cross[22][43] |
| Earth | E | .svg) [16][43] | U+1F728 (dec 128808) | 🜨 | thefour quadrants of the world, divided by the four rivers descending fromEden[44][a] |
.svg) [16][22][23] | U+2641 (dec 9793) | ♁ | aglobus cruciger | ||
| Mars | M, Ma | .svg) [16][43] | U+2642 (dec 9794) | ♂ | Mars's shield and spear[22][43] |
| Jupiter | J | .svg) [16][43] | U+2643 (dec 9795) | ♃ | the letterZeta with an abbreviation stroke (forZeus, theGreek equivalent to the Roman god Jupiter)[10] |
| Saturn | S | .svg) [16][43] | U+2644 (dec 9796) | ♄ | the letterskappa-rho with an abbreviation stroke (forKronos, theGreek equivalent to the Roman god Saturn), with a cross[10] |
| Uranus | U | [30][31] | U+26E2 (dec 9954) | ⛢ | symbol of the recently described elementplatinum, which was invented to provide a symbol for Uranus[30][31] |
[23][24][43] | U+2645 (dec 9797) | ♅ | a globe surmounted by the letterH (forHerschel, who discovered Uranus)[32] (more common in older or British literature) | ||
| Neptune | N | .svg) [16][24] | U+2646 (dec 9798) | ♆ | Neptune'strident |
[37][43] | U+2BC9 (dec 11209) | ⯉ | a globe surmounted by the letters "L" and "V", (forLe Verrier, who discovered Neptune)[37][43] (more common in older, especially French, literature) |
.png)
Following the discovery ofCeres in 1801 by the astronomer andCatholic priestGiuseppe Piazzi, a group of astronomers ratified the name, which Piazzi had proposed. At that time, the sickle was chosen as a symbol of the planet.[47]
The symbol for2 Pallas, the spear ofPallas Athena, was invented by BaronFranz Xaver von Zach, who organized a group of twenty-four astronomers to search for a planet between the orbits ofMars andJupiter. The symbol was introduced by von Zach in 1802.[48]In a letter to von Zach, discovererHeinrich Wilhelm Matthäus Olbers (who had discovered and named Pallas) expressed his approval of the proposed symbol, but wished that the handle of the sickle of Ceres had been adorned with a pommel instead of a crossbar, to better differentiate it from the sign of Venus.[48]
.png)
German astronomerKarl Ludwig Harding created the symbol for3 Juno. Harding, who discovered this asteroid in 1804, proposed the nameJuno and the use of a scepter topped with a star as its astronomical symbol.[49]
The symbol for4 Vesta was invented by German mathematicianCarl Friedrich Gauss. Olbers, having previously discovered and named 2 Pallas, gave Gauss the honor of naming his newest discovery. Gauss decided to name the new asteroid for the goddessVesta, and also designed the symbol (.svg)
): the altar of the goddess, with thesacred fire burning on it.[50][51][52] Other contemporaneous writers use a more elaborate symbol (.svg)
.svg)
) instead.[53][54]
Karl Ludwig Hencke, a Germanamateur astronomer, discovered the next two asteroids,5 Astraea (in 1845) and6 Hebe (in 1847). Hencke requested that the symbol for 5 Astraea be an upside-down anchor;[55] however, aweighing scale was sometimes used instead.[17][56] Gauss named 6 Hebe at Hencke's request, and chose awineglass as the symbol.[57][58]
As more new asteroids were discovered, astronomers continued to assign symbols to them. Thus,7 Iris (discovered 1847) had for its symbol a rainbow with a star;[59]8 Flora (discovered 1847), a flower;[59]9 Metis (discovered 1848), an eye with a star;[60]10 Hygiea (discovered 1849), an upright snake with a star on its head;[61]11 Parthenope (discovered 1850), a standing fish with a star;[61]12 Victoria (discovered 1850), a star topped with a branch oflaurel;[62]13 Egeria (discovered 1850), a buckler;[63]14 Irene (discovered 1851), a dove carrying an olive branch with a star on its head;[64]15 Eunomia (discovered 1851), a heart topped with a star;[65]16 Psyche (discovered 1852), a butterfly wing with a star;[66]17 Thetis (discovered 1852), a dolphin with a star;[67]18 Melpomene (discovered 1852), adagger over a star;[68] and19 Fortuna (discovered 1852), a star overFortuna's wheel.[68][b]
In most cases the discovery reports only describe the symbols and do not draw them; from Hygiea onward, there are significant glyph variants as well as a significant delay between the discovery and the symbols having been communicated to the astronomical community as a whole.[71][72] Consequently, astronomical publications were not always complete.[46] The discovery reports for Melpomene[73] and Fortuna[74] do not even describe the symbols, which only appear in a later reference work by the discoverer;[68] the symbols are drawn in the reports for Astraea,[55] Hebe,[57] and Thetis.[67]Benjamin Apthorp Gould criticised the symbols in 1852 as being often inefficient at suggesting the bodies they represented and difficult to draw, and pointed out that the symbol that had been described for Irene had to his knowledge never actually been drawn.[75] The same year,John Russell Hind expressed the contrary view that the symbols were easier to remember than the numbers, but also admitted that the names were more commonly used than either the numbers or the symbols.[68]
The last edition of theBerliner Astronomisches Jahrbuch (BAJ, Berlin Astronomical Yearbook) to use asteroid symbols was for the year 1853, published in 1850: although it includes eleven asteroids up to Parthenope, it only includes symbols for the first nine (up to Metis), noting that the symbols for Hygiea and Parthenope had not yet been made definitively known.[71] The last edition of the BritishThe Nautical Almanac and Astronomical Ephemeris to include asteroid ephemerides was that for 1855, published in 1852: despite fifteen asteroids being known (up to Eunomia), symbols are only included for the first nine.[76]
Johann Franz Encke made a major change in the BAJ for the year 1854, published in 1851. He introduced encircled numbers instead of symbols, although his numbering began withAstraea, the first four asteroids continuing to be denoted by their traditional symbols.[17] This symbolic innovation was adopted very quickly by the astronomical community. The following year (1852), Astraea's number was bumped up to 5, but Ceres through Vesta were not listed by their numbers until the 1867 edition.[17] TheAstronomical Journal edited by Gould adopted the symbolism in this form, with Ceres at 1 and Astraea at 5.[75] This form had previously been proposed in an 1850 letter byHeinrich Christian Schumacher to Gauss.[72] The circle later became a pair of parentheses, which were easier to typeset,[46] and the parentheses were sometimes omitted altogether over the next few decades.[17] Thus the iconic asteroid symbols fell out of use; reference works continued giving them for the next few decades, though they often noted them as being obsolete.[46]
A few asteroids were given symbols by their discoverers after the encircled-number notation became widespread.26 Proserpina (discovered 1853),28 Bellona (discovered 1854),35 Leukothea (discovered 1855), and37 Fides (discovered 1855), all discovered by German astronomerRobert Luther, were assigned, respectively, a pomegranate with a star inside;[77] a whip and spear;[78] an antique lighthouse;[79] and a cross.[80] These symbols were drawn in the discovery reports.29 Amphitrite was named and assigned a shell for its symbol byGeorge Bishop, the owner of the observatory where astronomerAlbert Marth discovered it in 1854, though the symbol was not drawn in the discovery report.[81]
All these symbols are rare or obsolete in modern astronomy, though NASA has used Ceres' symbol when describing the dwarf planets,[82] and Psyche's symbol may have influenced the design of the insignia for thePsyche mission.[46] The major use of symbols for minor planets today is by astrologers, who have invented symbols for many more objects, though they sometimes use symbols that differ from the historical symbols for the same bodies.[83]
The symbol for99942 Apophis, anear-Earth asteroid discovered in 2004 that attracted interest when initial observations suggested a significant probability of an Earth impact in 2029 (a possibility since eliminated), is much later. It was designed by Denis Moskowitz, who also designed many of the dwarf-planet symbols, at a time when asteroid symbols had become extremely rare in astronomy. Nonetheless, its inclusion of a star is meant to recall the 19th-century asteroid symbols.[84]
| Asteroid | Symbol | Unicode code point | Browser display | Represents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Ceres | .svg) [17][23][43] | U+26B3 (dec 9907) | ⚳ | Ascythe.[43] In some fonts, the symbol for Saturn is the inverse. |
| 2 Pallas | .svg) [48] | U+26B4 (dec 9908) | ⚴ | A spear.[48][56] In modern renditions, the spearhead has a broader or narrower diamond shape. In 1802, it was given acordate leaf shape. A variation has a triangular head, conflating it with thealchemical symbol for sulfur. |
.svg) [48] | ||||
| 3 Juno | .svg) [49][85] | U+26B5 (dec 9909) | ⚵ | a scepter topped with a star[49] |
.svg) [43][86] | ||||
| 4 Vesta | [50] | U+1F777 (dec 128887) | | The temple hearth with thesacred fire of Vesta. The original form was a box with what looks like the horns ofAries on top.[50][52] |
[17][56][86] | An early elaborate form is an altar surmounted with a censer holding the sacred fire.[50][52] | |||
.svg) [52] | U+26B6 (dec 9910) | ⚶ | The modern V-shaped form dates from astrological use in the 1970s; it is an abbreviation of the above.[50][52] | |
| 5 Astraea | .svg) [55][56] | U+1F778 (dec 128888) | | an inverted anchor[55][87] |
.svg) .svg) [88] | U+2696 (dec 9878) | ⚖ | a weighing scale[43][56] | |
| 6 Hebe | .svg) [57][89][90] | U+1CEC0 (dec 118464) | | A wineglass. Originally typeset as a triangle ∇ set on a base ⊥.[57] |
.svg) [17][43][56] | ||||
| 7 Iris | .svg) [17][43] | U+1CEC1 (dec 118465) | | arainbow with a star inside it[59] |
.svg) [59][68] | ||||
| 8 Flora | .svg) .svg) [17][56] | U+1CEC2 (dec 118466) | | aflower[59] |
| 9 Metis | .svg) [17][43][56] | U+1CEC3 (dec 118467) | | an eye with a star above it[60] |
| 10 Hygiea | .svg) [61][68] | U+1F779 (dec 128889) | | a serpent with a star (from theBowl of Hygiea U+1F54F.svg) )[61] |
.svg) [17][56] | U+2695 (dec 9877) | ⚕ | aRod of Asclepius. Cf. the modern astrological symbol U+2BDA.svg) , acaduceus (oftenconfused with the Rod of Asclepius)[83] | |
| 11 Parthenope | .svg) [17][61] | U+1CEC4 (dec 118468) | | a fish with a star. This is the original symbol from the brief period when this asteroid was known and astronomers were still using iconic symbols.[61] |
.svg) [88] | U+1F77A (dec 128890) | | alyre. This symbol only appears in later 19th-century reference works that appeared when iconic symbols for asteroids had already become obsolete.[46] | |
| 12 Victoria | .svg) [17][56] | U+1CEC5 (dec 118469) | | a star with a branch of laurel[62] |
.svg) [91] | ||||
| 13 Egeria | .svg) [91] | U+1CEC6 (dec 118470) | | a buckler[63] |
.svg) [68] | ||||
| 14 Irene | .svg) [88] | U+1CEC7 (dec 118471) | | a dove carrying an olive-branch in its mouth and a star on its head[64] |
| 15 Eunomia | .svg) [17][56] | U+1CEC8 (dec 118472) | | a heart with a star on top[65] |
| 16 Psyche | .svg) [68] | U+1CEC9 (dec 118473) | | a butterfly's wing and a star[66] |
| 17 Thetis | .svg) [67] | U+1CECA (dec 118474) | | a dolphin and a star[67] |
| 18 Melpomene | .svg) [68] | U+1CECB (dec 118475) | | a dagger over a star[68] |
| 19 Fortuna | .svg) [68] | U+1CECC (dec 118476) | | a star over a wheel[68] |
| 26 Proserpina | .svg) [77] | U+1CECD (dec 118477) | | a pomegranate with a star inside it[77] |
| 28 Bellona | .svg) [78] | U+1CECE (dec 118478) | | Bellona's whip / morning star and spear[78] |
| 29 Amphitrite | .svg) [91] | U+1CECF (dec 118479) | | a "shell".[81] There is no mention of a star in the original description, but the only 19th-century drawing of the symbol includes one.[46] |
| 35 Leukothea | .svg) [79] | U+1CED0 (dec 118480) | | apharos (ancient lighthouse)[79] |
| 37 Fides | .svg) [80] | U+271D (dec 10013) | ✝ | aLatin cross[80][91] |
| 99942 Apophis | .svg) [84] | — | — | a stylised depiction of the Egyptian godApep, with a star[84] |
Pluto's name and symbol were announced by the discoverers on May 1, 1930.[92] The symbol, amonogram of the letters PL, could be interpreted to stand for Pluto or forPercival Lowell, the astronomer who initiatedLowell Observatory's search for a planet beyond the orbit of Neptune. Pluto has an alternative symbol consisting of an orb over Pluto'sbident: it is more common in astrology than astronomy, and was popularised by the astrologerPaul Clancy,[93] but has been used by NASA to refer to Pluto as adwarf planet.[82] There are a few other astrological symbols for Pluto that are used locally.[93] Pluto also had the IAU abbreviation P when it was considered the ninth planet.[42]
The other large trans-Neptunian objects were only discovered around the dawn of the 21st century. They were not generally thought to be planets on their discovery, and planetary symbols had in any case mostly fallen out of use among astronomers by then. Denis Moskowitz, a software engineer in Massachusetts,[94] proposed astronomical symbols for thedwarf planets Quaoar, Sedna, Orcus, Haumea, Eris, Makemake, and Gonggong.[95][94] These symbols are somewhat standard among astrologers (e.g. in the programAstrolog),[96] which is where planetary symbols are most used today. Moskowitz has also proposed symbols forVaruna,Ixion, andSalacia, and others have done so for additional TNOs, but there is little consistency between sources.[95]
NASA has used Moskowitz's symbols for Haumea, Makemake, and Eris in an astronomical context, and Unicode labels the symbols for Haumea, Makemake, Gonggong, Quaoar, and Orcus (added to Unicode in 2022) as "astronomy symbols".[94]
| Object | Symbol | Unicode code point | Browser display | Represents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50000 Quaoar | .svg) [95] | U+1F77E (dec 128894) | 🝾 | a Q for Quaoar with the tail fashioned as a canoe, stylised to resemble the angular rock art of theTongva[95] |
| 90377 Sedna | .svg) [95] | U+2BF2 (dec 11250) | ⯲ | a monogram of theInuktitut syllabics ᓴsa and ᓐn, as Sedna's Inuit name is ᓴᓐᓇSanna[97] |
| 90482 Orcus | .svg) [95] | U+1F77F (dec 128895) | 🝿 | an O-R monogram forOrcus, stylised to resemble a skull and anorca's grin[95] |
| 134340 Pluto | .svg) [16] | U+2647 (dec 9799) | ♇ | a P-L monogram forPluto andPercival Lowell |
.svg) [82] | U+2BD3 (dec 11219) | ⯓ | a cap or planetary orb over Pluto'sbident | |
| 136108 Haumea | .svg) [82] | U+1F77B (dec 128891) | 🝻 | conflation of Hawaiian petroglyphs for woman and birth, asHaumea was the goddess of both[95] |
| 136199 Eris | .svg) [82] | U+2BF0 (dec 11248) | ⯰ | theHand of Eris, a traditional symbol fromDiscordianism (a religion worshipping the goddess Eris)[52] |
| 136472 Makemake | .svg) [82] | U+1F77C (dec 128892) | 🝼 | engraved face of the Rapa Nui godMakemake, also resembling an M[95][98] |
| 225088 Gonggong | .svg) [95] | U+1F77D (dec 128893) | 🝽 | Chinese character 共gòng (the first character in Gonggong's name), combined with a snake's tail[95] |
The zodiac symbols have several astronomical interpretations. Depending on context, a zodiac symbol may denote either a constellation, or a point or interval on the ecliptic plane.
Lists of astronomical phenomena published by almanacs sometimes included conjunctions of stars and planets or the Moon; rather than print the full name of the star, a Greek letter and the symbol for the constellation of the star was sometimes used instead.[99][100]The ecliptic was sometimes divided into 12 signs, each subdivided into 30 degrees,[101][102]and thesign component of ecliptic longitude was expressed either with a number from 0 to 11.[103] or with the corresponding zodiacal symbol.[102]
In modern astronomical writing, all the constellations, including the 12 of the zodiac, have dedicated three-letter abbreviations, which specifically refer toconstellations rather thansigns.[104]The zodiac symbols are also sometimes used to represent points on the ecliptic, particularly the solstices and equinoxes. Each symbol is taken to represent the "first point" of eachsign, rather than the place in the visibleconstellation where the alignment is observed.[105][106]Thus, ♈︎ the symbol for Aries, represents theMarch equinox;[c]♋︎, for Cancer, theJune solstice;[d]♎︎, for Libra, theSeptember equinox;[e]and ♑︎, for Capricorn, theDecember solstice.[f]
Although the use ofastrological sign symbols is rare, the particular symbol ♈︎ for Aries, is an exception; it is commonly used in modern astronomy to represent the location of the (slowly) moving reference point for theecliptic andequatorialcelestial coordinate systems.
| Constellation | IAU abbreviation | Number | Astrological location | Symbol | Translation | Unicode code point | Browser display |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aries | Ari[42] | 0 | 0° | .svg) [102][5] | ram[107] | U+2648 (dec 9800) | ♈︎ |
| Taurus | Tau[42] | 1 | 30° | .svg) [102][5] | bull[107] | U+2649 (dec 9801) | ♉︎ |
| Gemini | Gem[42] | 2 | 60° | .svg) [102][5] | twinned[107] | U+264A (dec 9802) | ♊︎ |
| Cancer | Cnc[42] [102][5] | 3 | 90° | .svg) .svg) [102][5] | crab[107] | U+264B (dec 9803) | ♋︎ |
| Leo | Leo[42] | 4 | 120° | .svg) [102][5] | lion[107] | U+264C (dec 9804) | ♌︎ |
| Virgo | Vir[42] | 5 | 150° | .svg) [102][5] | maiden[107] | U+264D (dec 9805) | ♍︎ |
| Libra | Lib[42] | 6 | 180° | .svg) [102][5] | scales[107] | U+264E (dec 9806) | ♎︎ |
| Scorpio | Sco[42] | 7 | 210° | .svg) [102][5] | scorpion[107] | U+264F (dec 9807) | ♏︎ |
| Sagittarius | Sgr[42] | 8 | 240° | .svg) [102][5] | archer[107] | U+2650 (dec 9808) | ♐︎ |
| Capricorn | Cap[42] | 9 | 270° | .svg) .svg) [102][5] | having a goat's horns[107] | U+2651 (dec 9809) | ♑︎ |
| Aquarius | Aqr[42] | 10 | 300° | .svg) [102][5] | water-carrier[107] | U+2652 (dec 9810) | ♒︎ |
| Pisces | Psc[42] | 11 | 330° | .svg) [102][5] | fishes[107] | U+2653 (dec 9811) | ♓︎ |
Ophiuchus has been proposed as a thirteenth sign of the zodiac by astrologerWalter Berg in 1995, who gave it a symbol that has become popular in Japan.[citation needed]
| Constellation | IAU abbreviation | Symbol | Translation | Unicode code point | Browser display |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ophiuchus | Oph[42] | .svg) [5] | the Serpent-holder[107] | U+26CE (dec 9934) | ⛎︎ |
None of the constellations have official symbols. However, in addition to the zodiac, occasional symbols for other modern constellations, as well as older constellations that occur in modern nomenclature, have appeared in publication. The symbols below were devised by Denis Moskowitz (except those for the 13 constellations already listed above).[108][109]
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Symbols foraspects andnodes appear in medieval texts, although medieval and modern usage of the node symbols differ; the modern ascending node symbol (☊) formerly stood for the descending node, and the modern descending node symbol (☋) was used for the ascending node.[3] In describing theKeplerian elements of an orbit, ☊ is sometimes used to denote theecliptic longitude of the ascending node, although it is more common to use Ω (capital omega, and inverted ℧), which were originally typographical substitutes for the astronomical symbols.[110]
The symbols for aspects first appear inByzantine codices.[3] Of the symbols for the fivePtolemaic aspects, only the three displayed here — for conjunction, opposition, and quadrature — are used in astronomy.[111]
Symbols for a comet (☄) and a star (
) have been used in published astronomical observations of comets. In tables of these observations, ☄ stood for the comet being discussed and for the star of comparison relative to which measurements of the comet's position were made.[112]
| Referent | Symbol | Unicode code point | Browser display |
|---|---|---|---|
| ascendingnode | .svg) [16][23] | U+260A (dec 9738) | ☊ |
| descendingnode | .svg) [16][23] | U+260B (dec 9739) | ☋ |
| conjunction |  [23][24] | U+260C (dec 9740) | ☌ |
| opposition |  [23][24] | U+260D (dec 9741) | ☍ |
| occultation |  [113] | U+1F775 (dec 128885) | 🝵 |
| alunar eclipse, or any body in the shadow of another[114] |  [113] | U+1F776 (dec 128886) | 🝶 |
| quadrature |  [23][24] | U+25A1, U+25FB (dec 9633, 9723) | □, ◻ |
| comet | .svg) .svg) [23][91][112] | U+2604 (dec 9732) | ☄ |
| star | [23][91][112] | (Not designated) | (Many possibilities) |
| planetary rings (rare) | .svg) [115] | U+1FA90+FE0E (dec 129680) | 🪐︎ |
Meteor showers also have limited use of astronomical symbols in the literature, designed by Denis Moskowitz. They are based on the parent constellation symbols, with letters included to disambiguate the Aquariids and Taurids.[84][108]
Forplanetary transits of Mercury and Venus, Moskowitz proposed overlaying the respective planetary symbol on that of the Sun, extending the crossbar into an arrow:
(Mercury),
(Venus). This also has some limited use.[84]
Limited use can also be found of Moskowitz's symbol forHalley's Comet,.svg)
: it is simply the standard comet symbol with an H.[84]
. A less common variant is.svg)
, now obsolete.[45]
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{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)In general, only the signs for Vesta have enough variance to be regarded as different designs. However, all of these Vesta symbols ... are differing designs for "the hearth and flame of the temple of the Goddess Vesta" in Rome, and can thus be regarded as extreme variants of a single symbol.
Der Planet hat mit Einwilligung des Entdeckers den Namen Astraea erhalten, und sein Zeichen wird nach dem Wunsche des Hr. Hencke ein umgekehrter Anker[symbol pictured] sein.
Hofrath Gauß gab auf Hencke's Ansuchen diesem neuen Planetoiden den Namen Hebe mit dem Zeichen (ein Weinglas).
The symbol adopted for [Iris] is a semicircle to represent the rainbow, with an interior star and a base line for the horizon. ... The symbol adopted for [Flora's] designation is the figure of a flower.
I trust, therefore, that astronomers will adopt this name [viz. Metis], with an eye and star for symbol.
The symbol of Hygeia is a serpent (like a Greekζ) crowned with a star. That of Parthenope is a fish crowned with a star.
I have called the new planet Victoria, for which I have devised, as a symbol, a star and laurel branch, emblematic of the goddess of Victory.
M. de Gasparis adresse ses remerciments à l'Académie, qui lui a décerné, dans la séance solennelle du 16 décembre 1850, deux des médailles de la fondation Lalande, pour la découverte des planètes Hygie, Parthénope et Egérie. M. d Gasparis annonce qu'il a choisi, pour symbole de cette dernière planète, la figure d'un bouclier.
Sir John Herschel, who kindly undertook the selection of a name for this, the fourteenth member of the ultra-zodiacal group, has suggested Irene as one suitable to the present time, the symbol to be a dove carrying an olive-branch with a star on the head; and since the announcement of this name, I have been gratified in receiving from all quarters the most unqualified expressions of approbation.
J'ai proposé le nomEunomia pour la nouvelle planète. Le symbole serait un coeur surmonté d'une étoile.
(in a footnote) Herr Professor de Gasparis schreibt mir, in Bezug auf den von ihm März 17 entdeckten neuen Planeten: "J'ai proposé, avec l'approbation de Mr. Hind, le nom de Psyché pour la nouvelle planète, ayant pour symbole une aile de papillon surmontée d'une étoile."
Herr Director Argelander in Bonn, welcher der hiesigen Sternwarte schon seit längerer Zeit seinen Schutz und Beistand zu Theil werden lässt, hat die Entdeckung des April-Planeten zuerst constatirt und mir bei dieser Gelegenheit dafür den Namen Thetis und das Zeichen[symbol pictured] vorgeschlagen, wodurch der der silberfüssigen Göttinn geheiligte Delphin angedeutet wird. Indem ich mich hiermit einverstanden erkläre, ersuche ich die sämmtlichen Herren Astronomen, diesen Namen und dieses Zeichen annehmen und beibehalten zu wollen.
Die Zeichen von Hygiea und Parthenope sind noch nicht so definitiv bekannt gemacht, dass sie hier aufgeführt werden könnten. Die neu endeckte Victoria kommt in diesem Bande noch nicht vor.
Wenn noch mehrere von dieser Planetenfamilie entdeckt werden, so möchte es am Ende schwer halten, neue geeignete Zeichen aufzufinden, auch kann man doch eigentlich nicht von einem Atronomen verlangen, dass er Blumen- und Figurenzeichner seyn soll. Ich glaube es wäre weit bequemer, alle mit einem Kreise, der die Ordnungszahl ihrer Endeckung enthält, zu bezeichnen: Ceres mit ① Victoria mit ⑫ u. s. w. Man kommt dann nie in Verlegenheit. Es mögen so viele, wie man will, entdeckt werden, das Zeichen ist im voraus bestimmt. Alle diese Zeichen sind leicht zu schreiben, und sehen im Drucke gut aus, auch zeigt der letzte immer wie viele von der Brut da sind. Ich würde, wenn ich nicht einen grossen Abscheu vor allen nicht absolut nothwendigen Neuerungen hätte, den Vorschlag in den A. N. [Astronomische Nachrichten] machen.
... observe, that 60 seconds make a minute, 60 minutes make a degree, 30 degrees make a sign, and 12 signs make a circle.
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