Catasterism
Catasterism was the process by which a mortal or creature was placed among the stars.
The Meaning of Catasterism
Catasterism — transformation into a constellation — was how the gods granted immortality to mortals and beasts. Zeus placed Callisto among the stars as Ursa Major after Artemis had slain her. Perseus, Andromeda, and Pegasus all became constellations after Perseus's triumph over Medusa. The Pleiades, daughters of Atlas pursued by Orion, were set in the sky by Zeus for protection. Ariadne's wedding crown, a gift from Dionysus, became Corona Borealis. Heracles himself was honoured with a constellation. Each catasterism preserved a myth's memory in the night sky, visible from Athens to Troy.
Symbols
Fun Fact
The IAU still uses Greek mythological names for 48 of 88 official constellations — more than half the sky.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Constellation Argo Navis
💭 conceptastronomy, voyage
The great southern constellation representing the ship Argo, in which Jason and the Argonauts sailed to Colchis to retrieve the Golden Fleece.
Ophiuchus
💭 conceptastronomy, healing
The serpent-bearer constellation identified with Asclepius, who learned to resurrect the dead and was placed in the sky by Zeus after being struck down for overstepping mortal limits.
Callisto
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
A moon of Jupiter named after Callisto, the nymph companion of Artemis who was transformed into a bear and placed among the stars as the constellation Ursa Major
Venus
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
The second planet from the Sun and the brightest natural object in the night sky after the Moon, named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love identified with the Greek Aphrodite
Constellation Pleiades
💭 conceptastronomy, nymph
The seven daughters of Atlas and the Oceanid Pleione, pursued by Orion and transformed into a star cluster that has guided sailors and farmers for millennia.
Apotheosis
💭 conceptDivine Transformation
The elevation of a mortal to divine status, a concept central to Greek hero cult and Roman imperial religion.
Uranus
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
The seventh planet from the Sun, named after Ouranos, the primordial Greek god of the sky and the earliest supreme deity in the mythological genealogy
The Olympian Gods
💭 conceptDivine rule, cosmic order
The twelve great gods who ruled from Mount Olympus — each governing a domain of nature, civilisation, or human experience, and each as flawed and passionate as the mortals who worshipped them.
Ganymede
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
The largest moon in the solar system, named after Ganymede, the beautiful Trojan prince abducted by Zeus to serve as cupbearer of the gods on Olympus
Goddess of the Moon
💭 conceptMoon, night sky, lunar cycles
Selene drives her silver chariot across the night sky, illuminating the world with reflected light.
Eratosthenes
💭 conceptAstronomy, geography, mathematics
Alexandrian polymath who calculated Earth's circumference and linked constellations to myths in his Catasterisms
Aphrodite
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
The planet Venus is named after the Roman equivalent of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty, because it is the brightest and most beautiful object in the night sky after the Moon