Astronomical Symbols
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The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.
Astronomical Symbols
conventional symbols for the sun, moon, planets, and other celestial bodies as well as for zodiacal constellations, planetary configurations, phases of the moon, and so forth used in the astronomical literature and calendars. Some astronomical symbols are used to denote days of the week and hours.
Most symbols emerged in the distant past and are schematic representations of celestial bodies or the symbolic figures of the constellations. Astronomical symbols are presented in Table 1.
The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.