Confused by all the symbols on your Astronomy Calendar? Here is a quick dictionary explaining each symbol.

The Sun, The Moon, and The Major Planets

The building blocks of observing the night sky.

The Zodiac Constellations

The constellations are used by modern [amateur] astronomers as location beacons along the Sun’s ecliptic. For example, knowing where the Sun and Moon currently are may help you plan for an upcoming meteor shower or trying to catch sight of an comet.

The Sun also crosses the path of Orion, Sextans, and Cetus briefly over the year.

The Dwarf Planets

Symbol	Dwarf Planet
♇	Pluto
	Haumea2
	Makemake3
	Eris4

The Asteroids & Centaurs

Symbol	Object
⚳	Ceres
⚷	Chiron
	Hebe5
	Irene5
⚴	Pallas
⚶	Vesta

Planetary Movements

Head over to the Glossary of Astronomical Phenomena for detailed descriptions!

Symbol	Description
☌	Conjunction
☍	Opposition
	Occultation
℞	Retrograde
☊	Ascending Node
☋	Descending Node

Sources

1. Dr. Strous, Louis. Astronomy Answer Book, 19 July 2021 <https://www.aa.quae.nl/en/index.html> ↩︎
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haumea ↩︎
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makemake ↩︎
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eris_(dwarf_planet) ↩︎
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astronomical_symbols#Table ↩︎
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astronomical_symbols#Table ↩︎