Lore:Astronomy

Moons
thumb|left|Nirn's two moons, both full
thumb|right|clear=none|The moonlet of Baar Dau
Above Nirn there are two moons: Masser, also known as Jode or Mara's Tear;  and Secunda, also known as Jone or Stendarr's Sorrow.  Masser is the larger of the two, well over twice as large by appearance. Since Secunda is sometimes seen to transit Masser, it is clear that Masser is indeed larger, not closer.  For the Khajiit, the moons have special significance in their culture. In Khajiiti legend, the motion of the moons constructs something called the "Lunar Lattice" or "Ja-Kha'jay" in Ta'agra, which protects Mundus from the rest of the Aurbis.  Khajiit are born in differing forms depending on the current phases of the moons. They will often refer to specific moon phases by the Khajiiti form it is connected to.   See Khajiiti Morphology for details.

Prior to its destruction, Baar Dau was referred to as a moonlet. It was a celestial rock that hung suspended over Vivec City for many centuries before finally completing its descend and impacting the surface of Nirn during the Red Year. 
 

Stars
Stars are tears in the veil of Oblivion that lead to Aetherius. They were created by the Magna Ge, Anuic spirits that fled Creation after the departure of its architect, the god Magnus.   Magnus himself left the greatest tear in the firmament: the sun, sometimes named Magnus.    There are a great many stars in the sky, some of which form the Constellations. Others do not form part of any constellation; for example,  , also called the Twilight Star, appears briefly at dawn and dusk low on the horizon below the constellation of  .     is associated with "un-time" events, and it is said that this star was visible even in the daytime sky during the  . 

Constellations
There are thirteen named constellations in the sky. There are three Guardian signs; The Warrior, The Mage, and The Thief, each of which protects three charges. Each of these twelve signs corresponds to one of the twelve months in the Tamrielic year. The thirteenth sign, The Serpent, has no guardian or month and moves around the sky, usually threatening the other signs. The Firmament provides descriptions of all of the constellations, as quoted in the following sections.

The Reachmen call constellations "sky tales". 

In  , three Guardian signs — the Warrior, the Mage, and the Thief — fell from the sky and took on a mortal form known as  . 

The Dwemer have symbols for these constellations, which (except for The Serpent) correspond to letters in the Dwemer Alphabet.


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!rowspan=3|Charges
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!colspan=4|The Dwemer Symbol for the Serpent The Serpent  
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  Unconfirmed characters.

The Apprentice
:''The Apprentice's Season is Sun's Height. Those born under the sign of the apprentice have a special affinity for magick of all kinds, but are more vulnerable to magick as well. 

 

The Atronach
:The Atronach (often called the Golem) is one of the Mage's Charges. Its season is Sun's Dusk. Those born under this sign are natural sorcerers with deep reserves of magicka, but they cannot generate magicka of their own. 

 

The Lady
:The Lady is one of the Warrior's Charges and her Season is Heartfire. Those born under the sign of the Lady are kind and tolerant. 

 

The Lord
:The Lord's Season is First Seed and he oversees all of Tamriel during the planting. Those born under the sign of the Lord are stronger and healthier than those born under other signs. 

 

The Lover
:The Lover is one of the Thief's Charges and her season is Sun's Dawn. Those born under the sign of the Lover are graceful and passionate. 

 

The Mage
:The Mage is a Guardian Constellation whose Season is Rain's Hand when magicka was first used by men. His Charges are the Apprentice, the Golem, and the Ritual. Those born under the Mage have more magicka and talent for all kinds of spellcasting, but are often arrogant and absent-minded.'' 

As the Dwemer didn't believe in magic, they knew this constellation as "The Mechanist"  . 

The Reachmen know this constellation as "Witch in the Stars", which is often shortened to "The Witch". They believe that The Witch shines her light on covens that protect the Reach from outsiders and others who mean to do Reachfolk harm and that her good eye sees through everything—rock, water, and flesh—to find the hard truths. According to them she never lies. Together with the Hunter and the Headsman they are called Reach Guardians and that they protect lesser stars from the Snake.  

This constellation contains the Planet  , which is also called the Eye of the Sage. 

 

The Ritual
:''The Ritual is one of the Mage's Charges and its Season is Morning Star. Those born under this sign have a variety of abilities depending on the aspects of the moons and the Divines. 

 

The Serpent
:The Serpent wanders about in the sky and has no Season, though its motions are predictable to a degree. No characteristics are common to all who are born under the sign of the Serpent. Those born under this sign are the most blessed and the most cursed. 
Alone of the constellations it is said to be formed of Unstars, rather than stars and planets.  The Serpent symbol is not shown in the Imperial Orrery.

The Reachmen know this constellation as Snake in the Stars, which is often shortened to  the Snake.  The Celestial Serpent has also been referred to as Malazar'''. 

 

The Shadow
:''The Shadow's Season is Second Seed. The Shadow grants those born under the sign the ability to hide in shadows. 

 

The Steed
:The Steed is one of the Warrior's Charges, and its Season is Mid Year. Those born under the sign of the Steed are impatient and always hurrying from one place to another. 

 

The Thief
:The Thief is the last Guardian Constellation, and its Season is the darkest month of Evening Star. Its Charges are the Lover, the Shadow, and the Tower. Those born under the sign of the Thief are not typically thieves, though they take risks more often and only rarely come to harm. They will run out of luck eventually, however, and rarely live as long as those born under other signs. 

The Reachmen know this constellation as "The Hunter" and describe it as the wiliest of the constellations and as clever as an old fox and swift as a young one. They believe that she watches the Snake in the Stars, finding it no matter where it slithers and that she teaches them to keep their feet quiet and kills as silent as the night. Together with the Witch and the Headsman they are referred to as Reach Guardians. 

This constellation contains the Planet  , which is also called the Eye of the Thief. 

 

The Tower
:The Tower is one of the Thief's Charges and its Season is Frostfall. Those born under the sign of the Tower have a knack for finding gold and can open locks of all kinds. 

 

The Warrior
:The Warrior is the first Guardian Constellation and he protects his charges during their Seasons. The Warrior's own season is Last Seed when his Strength is needed for the harvest. His Charges are the Lady, the Steed, and the Lord. Those born under the sign of the Warrior are skilled with weapons of all kinds, but prone to short tempers. 

The Reachmen know this constellation as "The Headsman". He stands for swift ends and payment in kind. They believe that he delivers justice and punishment in equal measure. Together with the Witch and the Hunter they are referred to as Reach Guardians. 

This constellation contains the Planet  , which is also called the Eye of the Warrior. 

 

Other Constellations
Other minor constellations are known to exist, although they are unnamed.

Several constellations resemble various skills and are associated with the three Guardian Constellations with which they most closely align:
The Mage: Alteration, Conjuration, Destruction, Enchanting, Illusion, Restoration 
The Thief: Alchemy, Light Armor, Lockpicking, Pickpocket, Sneak, Speech 
The Warrior: Archery, Block, Heavy Armor, One-handed, Smithing, Two-handed 

Similar minor constellations include the Vampirism constellation resembling a bat or Vampire Lord, and the Werewolf constellation associated with the Bloodmoon which resembles a werewolf. 

Circa  , several ancient Altars of Celestial Convergence were excavated in Craglorn by the  . These ancient Nedic relics depicted an unknown constellation, which was speculated by the antiquarians to have been an attempt to rewrite the stars by merging traditional archetypes into new wholes.  That same year, an Imperial mage named Cassipia attempted to copy the Nedes by becoming a Celestial. Calling herself the Exalted Viper, Cassipia planned to usurp the Serpent's place in the sky, but she was slain in her mortal form before she could ascend. 

 

Star Maps and Orreries
Many cultures follow the passage of the stars.

The Dwemer
thumb|right|A Dwemer star chart
Undoubtedly the most advanced knowledge of the heavens comes via the relics of the Dwemer.

Of particular importance is the Orrery found in the Arcane University at the Imperial City in Cyrodiil which shows all the various planets and can even draw upon the power of Nirn's twin moons.

A second place of importance is upon the island of Stros M'Kai where a Dwemer observatory lies. This observatory contains an orrery as well and a star chart upon its ceiling. The star chart displays runes for each constellation in a radial grid, clockwise by their associated month. A guardian and its three charges are all found at the same distance from the center of the galaxy.
 

The Yokudans
thumb|right|A Yokudan sand map
thumb|left|A Yokudan starstone
The pre-Redguard Yokudan culture in particular was noted for its astrologers, who would make crude sand maps in their camps. These are identical to the Dwemer star charts in their radial configuration of the constellations. The only difference at all is the simplification of guardian runes to outlined squares and charge runes to filled circles.
 

The Elder Scrolls
thumb|right|An Elder Scroll
Finally, the Elder Scrolls themselves would seem to depict some sort of star map, with various glyphs of unknown purpose adorning both the foreground and background.

Upon careful examination of the particular Elder Scroll depicted here, one can see an outline of The Thief constellation; this is highly appropriate, as this particular Elder Scroll was stolen from the Imperial Palace and used to break the curse on the Cowl of Nocturnal.
Gallery
 

Notes
 
References