Fictional Constellations

Rubello, the Fire-Breathing Pope constellation.

Although they vary widely by time and place, constellations have often played a significant role in many cultures, serving as navigational aids and as visual representations of myths and historical events. Therefore, an easy way to distinguish a Constructed World or fictional culture from a Real Life one is to give them different constellations, as well as tie those constellations back to some aspect of that world or culture.

Stellification is when a character becomes a star or constellation. See also Fictional Zodiac, when the constellations serve as birthsigns. Often runs in tandem with Alien Sky on worlds other than Earth, especially if someone from Earth is present to remark on the differences.

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Examples:

Anime & Manga

• Pokémon: The Series:
  • Pokémon: The Original Series: In "A Friend In Deed", Ash and Ritchie are tracking Team Rocket (up to their usual hijinks) and decide to pitch camp for the night. Looking up at the stars, they trace lines between them to form images of specific Pokémon.
  • Pokémon: Jirachi: Wish Maker: The film's closing credits rolls across a number of real-world constellations with Pokémon reskins. The very last constellation appears as a single, shiny star that dissolves into one of the dots on Pikachu's cheeks.
• Star★Twinkle Pretty Cure: Hikaru draws her own constellation that turns into the mascot Fuwa.

Fan Works

• Astral Sorcery: The mod has its own unique set of constellations, which the player can learn the looks of through constellation papers. There are three sets of constellations that can be learned as you progress: the bright constellations can be found by anyone, dim constellations need a telescope to be discovered and can only be found by attuned players, and faint constellations need an observatory to be found.
• Fans have actually found some of those 3,192 Discworld constellations. This is Wezen the Stellar Kangaroo.
• Queens of Mewni: The Mewni dimension has its own set of constellations, which share their names with the months in the Mewnian calendar. Their names are, in order: Butterfly, Pig-Goat, Admirestar (a type of telescope), Warnicorn, Dwolf, Rabbit, Dragonette, Razor Crane, Gravnok and Corn. They also function as a Fictional Zodiac.
• Triptych Continuum: The focus of Twilight Sparkle Vs. The Equestrian Cutie Mark Constellation Registry, where Twilight ends up in conflict with an agency that makes constellations out of pony's Cutie Marks. The Barding of the Ancients, a band of constellations representing Celestia and Luna's dead comrades, is also brought up.

Films — Animated

• Moana: An arrangement of stars shaped like Maui's fish hook is said to mark where he fell into the sea, after being attacked by the lava demon Te Ka.
• Shrek: Shrek tells Donkey the names the ogres give to several constellations. These are mostly named after ogre folk heroes, such as Throwback, the only ogre to ever spit clean across three wheat fields, and Bloodnut the Flatulent.
  Donkey: So, uh...are there any donkeys up there?
  Shrek: Well, there's, um... Gabby, the small, and annoying.
  Donkey: Okay, okay. I see it, I see it now, yeah. The big shiny one, right there. Right? That-that one there?
  Shrek: ...That's the moon.

Films — Live-Action

• Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: Discussed when Clementine and Joel have their (apparently) first date on a frozen lake at night. Clem asks Joel to point out constellations though he doesn't know any, so he makes one up off the top of his head: Osidious yhe Emphatic ("Right over there, kind of a swoop and a cross.")

Literature

• The Balanced Sword is set on the world Zarathan, which has its own constellations. The titular Balanced Sword, symbol of the god Myrionar, has a constellation named after it, which gets mentioned several times.
• The Chronicles of Narnia:
  • The pole star of Narnia is known as the Spear Head, the brightest object in the northern sky.
  • Prince Caspian: Lucy observes the Narnian sky and notices three constellations; the Ship, the Hammer, and the Leopard.
  • The Voyage of the Dawn Treader: As the titular ship travels further and further east, new constellations are seen that neither the Pevensies nor the native Narnians have ever glimpsed.
• The Cosmere: There is a variety of different constellations; a map of them can be seen here◊. Of particular note is the Scar, which is visible from multiple planets and known by different names on each of them.
• Discworld: Since the Disc rests on the back of the world-turtle Great A'Tuin, who moves steadily through space, its constellations appear, brighten, fade and vanish in a regular flow as the turtle goes past them. They're usually used for the Fictional Zodiac, but in The Last Continent they're used as a sign the wizards have travelled back in time, and to estimate how far.
  Chair of Indefinite Studies: We've counted three thousand, one hundred and ninety-one constellations that could be called the Triangle, for example, but the Dean says some of them don't count because they use the same stars?
• Dragonlance: The gods each have their own constellation in the night sky — Paladine's is a platinum dragon, Reorx's is a hammer, and Takhisis's is a multiheaded dragon, for example. When a god is active on Krynn, their constellation vanishes from the sky. In the Bad Future where Raistlin defeated the gods to take a place among them, his new constellation (an hourglass) is dominant in the sky, pushing the constellations of the remaining gods aside.
• Earthsea: In A Wizard of Earthsea. Wizards know that the land of the dead has constellations which do not match those of the living world. Their names include the Sheaf, the Tree, the Door and the One Who Turns.
• A Song of Ice and Fire: Westeros has different constellations. The Ice Dragon's blue eye is the setting's North Star, and at one point Jon and Ygritte talk about the different names the constellations have in their cultures.
• Starman Jones: A starship is lost in space due to a navigational error. They don't actually navigate by them, but seeing familiar constellations (that is, familiarly alien) lets the crew know they're in a known star system.
  The stars seemed to crawl together, then instantly they were gone to be replaced without any lapse of time whatever by another, new and totally different starry universe.
  Hendrix straightened up and sighed, then looked up. "There's the Albert Memorial," he said quietly. "And there is the Hexagon. Well, Captain, it seems we made it again."
• Star Trek Novelverse: Many alien constellations are described, like the Bajoran constellation the Five Brothers (only four are visible, the relevant myth being that the fifth, wisest brother is avoiding being seen), the Romulan constellation Dhael the Raptor, and the Cardassian constellation the Flower of Knowledge.
• Survivor Dogs: Canines have their own constellations: the Rabbit, the Wolf and her cub, the Great Tree, and the Running Squirrel.
• Tolkien's Legendarium: Often subverted, as the names of constellations are fictional, but the constellations of Arda themselves are implied to be more or less identical with our real world's constellations due to the stories being set in a mythic prehistory of Europe. For example, hobbits of the Shire refer to the Big Dipper as "the Sickle", while the constellation known to the Elves as Menelmacar the Swordsman of the Sky is identified with Orion.
• Tortall Universe: Constellations are either depictions of existing gods, or become gods in their own right. Alanna's magic black cat is the Cat constellation come to life to be her spirit guide.
• Uller Uprising mentions a constellation called "Finnegan's Goat", visible in the sky of Uller (a planet orbiting the star Beta Hydrae).
• Villains by Necessity: It's a plot point that the fictional constellation which is variously called by the names the Scarf in Bariga/the Six Lands, Moonblood to Nathauans, Fors Mor (the Great Waterfall) by the old druids and Selkin's Tail by the centaurs gets overlooked as a clue to Ki'kartha's Test. In Ki'kartha's culture, it symbolized her goddess Mula of Healing and Fresh Water, dubbed the Water-Giver because of this. It's described as a shining band of stars and possibly loosely based on the real Milky Way.

Live-Action TV

• The Adventures of Pete & Pete: Artie (the strongest man... in the wooooorld!) has his own unofficial constellation.
• Beastmaster: After one of her unicorns is killed by an ambitious and corrupt royal advisor, the Sorceress takes the remaining two and places them in the sky as a constellation (later removed by her mentor the Ancient One as punishment for her inappropriate behavior).
• Doctor Who: Gallifrey is in the "constellation of Kasterborous". Exactly what this means is open to debate, given that a constellation only exists from a certain frame of reference, and we're never given one. The Doctor Who Expanded Universe has come up with a number of theories, including that Time Lords define "constellations" four-dimensionally, which somehow means it's possible for Gallifrey's system to be in one from its own perspective; that it's a constellation in Earth's sky, but in the distant future; and that the Doctor meant to say "star system" but got confused. The same issues apply to other constellations the Doctor has used as reference points, including Scythia (location of Ribos, "The Ribos Operation"), Cetus (location of Varos, "Vengeance on Varos") and Canthares (location of the Canthares supernova, "Image of the Fendahl").
• Gekisou Sentai Carranger: Parodied: the five members of Pegasus Garage get their power from constellations based on cars.
• The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: The Hermit's Hat is a constellation fictional even to the Tolkien's Legendarium because it was invented solely for the show. The Meteor Man was send to Middle-earth to find this particular constellation. He learns from the Three Mystics that he can find the constellation in the lands of Rhûn, in the far east.
• Mystery Science Theater 3000: The episode "Hercules" deconstructs the whole constellations-as-a-motif when Crow complains he doesn't see the figures of ancient legend in the night sky. Servo attempts to update the constellations to reflect "modern sensibilities", creating elaborate constructs such as "the Ham Sandwich", "the New Christy Minstrels" and, out of a mere eleven stars, "Picasso's Guernica." Frustrated, Crow comes back with a "modern" constellation of his own, consisting of two stars:
  Crow: (sarcastic) It's a pencil. The eraser's almost gone.
• The Orville: One episode features an alien civilization entirely governed by astrology. One of the stars in one of their constellations died millennia ago making the sign (and every born under it) an ill omen.
• Room 101: Played for laughs in an episode when Esther Rantzen expresses a dislike for astrology, Paul Merton shows the audience the stars that make up Capricorn, then says "No way are those stars showing a goat to me, if you can do that, you can take another part of the sky and do this to it", then shows another group of stars linked together to form a TV set, a chair and a lamp.
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: In "Second Sight", Sisko points out that the Bajorans call a particular constellation "The Runners. I can never figure out if they're running toward something or away from something."

Music

• Frank Zappa's album One Size Fits All has a parody of the constellations on the backside of the album cover. All the constellations are puns, intellectual references, references to the London subway system and inside jokes about Zappa's music and/or entourage.

Newspaper Comics

• The Far Side: One strip has a character pointing out the constellation known as "the Big Dip", which is the profile of a dorky-looking man.

Pinball

• The Star Gazer playfield is decorated with simplified constellations of the Western Zodiac, as well as various fictional signs such as a beaver, a swan, and a pegasus.

Tabletop Games

• Exalted: The Sidereal Exalted are organized along the lines of the planets and stars. Their domains, one for of each of the Five Maidens, are composed of five constellations each, for a total of twenty-five different constellations in the Exalted night sky.
• Dungeons & Dragons:
  • The 5th Edition sourcebook Tasha's Cauldron of Everything describes three constellations, the Archer, the Chalice and the Dragon, and the ways that a druid who joins the Circle of Stars can draw power from each of them.
  • Forgotten Realms: The major gods have their own constellations. In The Avatar Trilogy, a constellation based on the new Mystra's holy symbol (a circle of seven stars with a red mist in the middle) appears when she ascends to godhood.
• Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay: The Empire distinguishes constellations such as the Big Cross and the Piper. This crosses over with Fictional Zodiac since many assign influence on these constellations based on the day of birth.

Video Games

• Animal Crossing: Wild World allows the player to create and name their own constellations. At nighttime they're visible in the sky.
• Dragon Age: Constellations are partially based on the religious leanings of ancient Tevinter, which at one time ruled the majority of the continent. They don't really become apparent to the player until Dragon Age: Inquisition, which utilizes them in a series of in-universe puzzles which lead the heroes to hidden treasure caches.
• The Elder Scrolls: The thirteen Fictional Zodiac signs are based on constellations in their Alien Sky, twelve to represent each month and one that appears randomly. Each sign grants its own powers, and in different ways, depending on the game.
• Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward introduced Astrologian, a healing Job that taps into The Power of the Sun, Lunacy and most importantly Star Power, for their magic. They gain their power by attuning their aether to that of six constellations: the Balance, the Bole, the Spire, the Ewer, the Arrow and the Spear, using Cards of Power (which references Tarot cards and their own use of zodiacal iconography). The six constellations are said to depict the six heavens, the homes of the Twelve.
• Genshin Impact: There's a constellation system. Each character has a unique fictional constellation that can be expanded by using a character-exclusive star powder that can be obtained by getting the character that you already have in the gacha.
• Grim Dawn: The world of Cairn has its own constellation of stars. To the PC, restoring devotion shrines grant you the power of the stars in the form of passive bonuses. Some power stars can be bound to your active skills and proc under certain conditions.
• Kingdom of Loathing: There is an area called "the Hole in the Sky". All of the monsters within are constellations that are also Double Entendres for male or female genitalia, such as "the Burrowing Bishop," "the Trouser Snake," or "the Little Man in the Canoe". Except for "the Astronomer", because the astronomers of the Days of Old were fond of not only childish visual puns, but also of Shameless Self-Promotion.
• League of Legends: In the lore, constellations are a significant cultural aspect on Mount Targon, as the constellations are each a symbol of the Aspects.
• Mario Party:
  • Mario Party 4: At the end of the story mode, a cutscene shows the character who was played as receiving a constellation in their likeness. It can then be viewed in the Present Room above that character's presents.
  • Mario Party: Island Tour: Drawing constellations is the objective of the mini-game "Starring Artist".

• Nexus War: In the backstory, the four-pointed symbol of the Nexal death god Hashaa is said to be one of the few constellations visible in the plane of Purgatorio. It's fitting since Hashaa's symbol represents the application of entropy and decay to all things, while Purgatorio is a cosmic-scale junkyard filled with faded, crumbling mementos of past worlds.
• Night in the Woods:
  • During Longest Night (equivalent to the real-life winter solstice), one pastime is to sit at a campfire and spot the thirteen constellations in the night sky. Gameplay in the supplemental game of the same name involves linking the stars. There's a "lost constellation" of which the Ghost Star is a part, featured in the second supplemental game, Lost Constellation.
  • On certain days, Mae can find Mr. Chazokov on a roof to spot dusk stars, which are "wandering stars" only visible for a short period in spring and fall. Each dusk star has a name and character lore attached to it, such as Simone the Fighter and Castys.
• Ōkami:
  • In order to summon each of the Celestial Brush Gods, Amaterasu must use her powers to complete the constellation associated with each brush god. There are fourteen in all, plus an enemy who is also summoned in a similar fashion.
  • The sequel, Ōkamiden, adds another five constellations. In this case, the stars are already there, but they must be connected correctly to unlock the Brush God and their associated skill.
• Pokémon: There are various examples, all of them of the titular creatures.
  • Pokémon Snap: One level has a constellation of Mewtwo as a secret. Other constellations seen in the Rainbow Cloud level include Kingler, Pinsir, Koffing, Cubone, and Dugtrio.
  • Pokémon Channel has a camp the player can stargaze from, with multiple Pokemon constellations viewable. These constellations also showed up in the credits of Pokémon: Jirachi: Wish Maker.
  • Pokémon Black and White introduces constellations based on the western zodiac; a couple of these appear in the anime as well.
• Sea of Thieves: A major part of the Tall Tale "Stars of a Thief" involves following directions based around an assortment of fictional constellations such as a snake, a crab, a kraken, and a creature known as the "Sea Queen".
• Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island: The boss fight against Raphael the Raven takes place on the moon. While up there, you can see the stars, and a group of them have lines connecting them to form a goonie. Upon defeating Raphael, he flies off and becomes a constellation of his own.
• Touhou Project: It's explained that youkai have their own constellations, distinct from those known by humans. Of particular note is that they consider the Big Dipper to be a dragon. Not just a pattern of stars that resembles a dragon, or is based on some mythological dragon, but an actual living dragon made up of stars that lives in the sky and seeks to swallow the North Star.

Web Animation

• RWBY: In the world of Remnant, the constellations are patterned and named after types of Grimm. Why the people named their constellations after soulless black monsters that feed on emotion and indiscriminately ravage the land is anyone's guess.
• Strong Bad Email: In "myths & legends", Strong Bad identifies a number of "Strong Badian" constellations: the snake seen on the Strong Badian flag, a man with a big knife, a hand giving the "OK" signal, a board with nails in it, a carton of General Tso's chicken, a fish wearing an afro wig, and a British distance runner. The latter two are said to have "combined forces to defeat the others... in paintball... or maybe Red Rover" and became the inspiration for the Bear Holding a Shark that protects Strong Badia's fence.

Web Original

• Dice Funk: In Season 8, Skitch's character is a Hobgoblin Circle of Stars druid called Azé. To match the setting, he created his own zodiac (for example, The Archer is replaced with The Hand).
• Neopets: Altador has twelve constellations representing the city's heroes.

Western Animation

• Adventure Time: "The Mountain" introduces a pair of human-shaped constellations standing side-by-side, with the moment their hands touch colloquially known as the "Dap of the Heavens".
• Il Était Une Fois... Space: The "constellation" of the Triton is actually a multiple star system formed by a red supergiant star orbited by a white dwarf and a red dwarf.
• The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack: In the short "Starry Night", Flapjack wants that Knuckles tell him all the constellation while the captain is trying to sleep. In order to sleep peacefully, Knuckles shows Flapjack a constellation called Peaceful Pirate (which apparently is sentient) and tells the boy that the pirate is peaceful because Flapjack isn't there.
• She-Ra and the Princesses of Power: After the first season, Bow's tracker pad begins getting random signals in First Ones script that everyone believes is a degraded message, as Adora is only able to make out the gibberish word "Serenia". They later learn it's not a message, but coordinates to Mara's ship relying on the placement of the constellation Serenia, named after one of the First Ones' mythological heroes. The protagonists didn't know because both the stars and the First Ones disappeared thousands of years ago, though luckily Bow's dads had records of the constellations in their library.
• The Simpsons
  • "Brother from the Same Planet": Homer gets an orphan to be a "Bigger Brother" to. When the orphan asks about constellations, Homer, who doesn't know any, starts rattling off random names and describing them all as "the Cowboy".
    Pepe: Tell me more! I want to know all the constellations.
    Homer: Well, there's... Jerry the Cowboy. And that big dipper looking thing is Alan... the Cowboy.
  • "Bart's Comet": Principal Skinner points out some constellation to Bart: First is "the Chariot Race", which consists of a single star. Then "the Three Wise Men", which looks like an improbably detailed constellation of The Three Stooges.
• South Park: In "Roger Ebert Should Lay Off the Fatty Foods", the constellations in Dr. Adams' planetarium include "the Big Dipper", "Taurus, the Bull", "Roger Ebert", and "the Crusades", each composed of fewer stars than the last, but with more and more complex drawings superimposed over them. "The Crusades" is only two stars.

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