Astronomy Symbols Guide — A Complete Guide to Astronomy Symbols Including Planets, Stars, Moons, Constellations, Zodiac Signs, Astronomical Units, Telescope Symbols, and Unicode Celestial Icons

Astronomy uses a rich visual system developed across centuries — from ancient civilizations to modern scientific notation.

These symbols represent planets, stars, constellations, phases of the Moon, orbital paths, and celestial objects used in research, education, charts, and stargazing apps.

This guide includes Unicode-friendly glyphs, emoji counterparts, and scientific meanings.

1. Planetary Symbols（行星符号）

Classical symbols come from ancient astronomy and alchemy.

Inner Planets

• ☿ Mercury
• ♀ Venus
• ⊕ Earth
• ♂ Mars

Outer Planets

• ♃ Jupiter
• ♄ Saturn
• ♅ Uranus
• ♆ Neptune
• ♇ Pluto

Meanings

• ♂ Mars → energy, war, action
• ♄ Saturn → time, structure
• ♀ Venus → beauty, harmony

2. Sun, Moon & Eclipses（太阳 / 月亮 / 食象）

Sun (Sol / Solar)

• ☉ Sun (astronomical)
• 🌞 Sun with Face

Moon (Lunar)

• ☽ Moon (crescent)
• 🌙 Crescent Moon
• 🌕 Full Moon
• 🌑 New Moon
• 🌓 First Quarter
• 🌗 Last Quarter

Eclipses

• ☉⊗ Solar Eclipse
• ☽⊗ Lunar Eclipse

3. Zodiac Signs（黄道十二宫符号）

These symbols appear in astronomy, star charts, and classical sky mapping.

• ♈ Aries
• ♉ Taurus
• ♊ Gemini
• ♋ Cancer
• ♌ Leo
• ♍ Virgo
• ♎ Libra
• ♏ Scorpio
• ♐ Sagittarius
• ♑ Capricorn
• ♒ Aquarius
• ♓ Pisces

Used for:

• equatorial coordinate systems
• star positions
• seasonal divisions (ancient astronomy)

4. Constellation Abbreviations（现代星座三字母缩写）

Standard IAU abbreviations:

• Ori Orion
• Cyg Cygnus
• Sco Scorpius
• Aql Aquila
• Tau Taurus
• Cas Cassiopeia
• Peg Pegasus

Unicode stars:

✦ ✧ ✩ ✪ ✫ ✬ ✭ ✮ ✯

5. Stars & Stellar Symbols（恒星符号）

Basic Star Symbols

• ★ Filled Star
• ☆ Hollow Star
• ✵ Sparkle
• ✴ Eight-Point Star
• ✶ Six-Point Star

Stellar Classification

• O Blue
• B Blue-white
• A White
• F Yellow-white
• G Yellow (Sun)
• K Orange
• M Red

Binary Stars

⋈

Variable Star Symbol

✶ (star shape used in charts)

6. Nebula, Galaxy & Deep-Sky Objects

IAU deep sky object markers:

• ⊙ Star cluster
• ⧉ Galaxy (stylized)
• ◇ Open cluster
• ⬟ Globular cluster
• ✹ Supernova remnant

Emoji visuals

• 🌌 Milky Way
• ✨ Starlight
• 🌀 Spiral galaxy look

7. Astronomical Units & Measurement Symbols

Distance

• AU Astronomical Unit
• ly Light-Year
• pc Parsec

Angles

• ° Degree
• ′ Arcminute
• ″ Arcsecond

Right Ascension / Declination

• α RA (right ascension)
• δ Dec (declination)

Solar Mass

M☉

Earth Mass

M⊕

8. Telescope & Observer Symbols

Telescope

• 🔭 Telescope emoji
• 🪐 Planet with rings (Saturn)

Observation Terms

• FOV Field of View
• MAG Magnitude
• RA/DEC Coordinates

Instrument Types

• ref refractor
• dob dobsonian
• newt newtonian

9. Comets, Meteors & Asteroids

Common Celestial Objects

• ☄ Comet
• 🌠 Shooting Star
• 🌟 Glowing Star
• 🪨 Asteroid

Near-Earth Objects (NEO)

• NEO near-Earth
• PHA potentially hazardous

10. Orbit & Motion Symbols

Orbital paths

• ↺ Retrograde
• ↻ Direct motion

Nodal points

• ☊ Ascending Node
• ☋ Descending Node

Opposition & Conjunction

• ☍ Opposition
• ☌ Conjunction

11. Astronomical Event Symbols

Meteor Shower

🌠 ✨

Supernova

✹ or ✷

Planetary Alignment

☉ ☿ ♀ ⊕ ♂ ♃ ♄

Aurora

🌌 (Milky Way style)

✨ (aesthetic aurora text)

12. ASCII Astronomy Symbols（适合终端 / Markdown）

Stars

```

* . ✦ ✧

```

Orbits

```

( O )

( ( O ) )

```

Comet

```

*→→→

☄→→

```

Constellation-style dots

```

· · ✦ · · ✧

```

13. Unicode Star Packs

Basic

★ ☆ ✦ ✧ ✩ ✪ ✫ ✬ ✭ ✮ ✯

Aesthetic

✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ:* ✨ *:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧

Scientific-style

⭒ ⭑ ⭒ ✶ ✷ ✸ ✹

14. Rendering & Platform Notes

iOS / Android

• emojis are colorful (🌟 🌌 🌠)
• symbolic glyphs (☉ ☿ ♄) render monochrome

macOS

• excellent serif support for astronomical symbols

Windows

• some rare nodes (☊ ☋) vary with system font

Browsers

• Chrome & Safari render astronomy Unicode most consistently
• Firefox may substitute fallback fonts

Summary

Astronomy symbols connect ancient sky-watching traditions with modern scientific notation.

From planetary glyphs and lunar phases to constellations, deep-sky objects, orbital symbols, and scientific units, these symbols provide a universal visual language for describing the cosmos.

This guide covers the most important astronomical icons — ideal for researchers, educators, designers, stargazers, and anyone fascinated by the universe.

---

Related Symbol Guides

* [**Science Symbols**](/blog/science-symbols-guide) - Physics and chemistry notation.

* [**Zodiac Symbols**](/blog/zodiac-symbols) - Astrological signs explained.

* [**Greek Letters**](/blog/greek-letters) - Greek alphabet used in astronomy.