MixfontMIXFONT

Constellation Sans

A font built from the real night sky. Explore the stars and write your message as a constellation.

About this project

Constellation Sans is a font that writes your text amongst the stars. Using the controls above, you can turn your words into a constellation made from real stars. Type a message, and the sky becomes a font: every point in every letter is matched to an actual star, then connected to write your message across the night.

Behind it is an interactive map of 8,896 stars in their real positions around Earth. This experiment searches that map for the stars that best fit your letters, so each message belongs to a real place in the sky. Try the same words again and you may discover a completely different constellation.

How to use the planetarium

01

Explore the night sky

Drag to look around and scroll or pinch to zoom. Hover over a star to make it shine, or select it to learn its name and how far away it is. The sky moves gently with the rotation of the Earth, but you can pause it at any time.

02

Turn your message into a constellation

Type a message using up to 24 letters, numbers, and spaces, then select Find Constellation. Constellation Sans searches the night sky for real stars that can form your letters. A shooting star connects the points and brings your new constellation into view.

03

Discover familiar constellations

Use the sparkles control to show or hide familiar constellation figures. Select one to see its name, brightest stars, and a link to learn more. You can also explore the Milky Way, distant galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters along the way.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this star map real?
Yes. The planetarium includes 8,896 stars from the HYG Database v4.0, shown in their real positions in the sky. Their colors are based on their measured temperatures, and the galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters appear at their real coordinates too. The shooting stars are the only decorative touch.
How does my message become a constellation?
Constellation Sans searches across the night sky for a group of stars that can trace the shape of your letters. It tries different locations and angles, then connects the best set of real stars to draw your message.
Will the same message always look the same?
Not necessarily. There are many possible matches across the sky, so the same message can appear in a different place or use a different group of stars each time you create it.
What can I type?
You can enter up to 24 characters using letters A–Z, numbers 0–9, and spaces. Longer messages wrap onto multiple lines so the finished constellation stays large enough to read.
Can I learn more about the stars in my message?
Yes. Open More info after creating your constellation to see which stars it uses, how far away they are, and where your message appears in the night sky. You can also select individual stars and familiar constellations as you explore.