For millennia, humanity has looked up at the stars and swirling clouds of the Crayfish Nebula, and sought meaning in its light, just as they sought meaning in the movement of the planets, the moon, and the First and Second Suns. Constellations have developed, of course, but there is also the study of specific plumes of the Nebula.
And for millennia, the Nebula has looked back at them.Astronomy is a complicated science on Tjarral. (For that matter, so is astrology.)
The northern zodiac is based on the stars as determined by the people from Sayintha through most of Mocueyoh to Einir and Oma. There are twelve signs they use, one for each month of the year.
1. The Stag "starts" the year (Ascension 16-Radiance 15).
5. The Leviathan swims after the Phoenix (Glory 16-Joy 15).
9. The Fish swims in the shadow of the Cat (Reflection 16-Feasting 15).
2. The Hunters follow the Stag (Radiance 16-Passion 15).
6. The Behemoth follows the Leviathan (Joy 16-Rest 15).
10. The Spider crawls after the Fish (Feasting 16-Community 15).
3. The Hound follows the Hunters (Passion 16-Harvest 15).
7. The Snake-Holder walks after the Behemoth (Rest 16-Peace 15).
11. The Owl flies after the Scorpion (Community 16-Awakening 15).
4. The Phoenix flies after the Hound (Harvest 16-Glory 15).
8. The Cat prowls after the Snake-Holder (Peace 16-Reflection 15).
12. The Lyre is carried after the Owl, leading the Stag and ending the year (Awakening 16-Ascension 15).
In parts of Mocueyoh—particularly in Hathu and Gykken—there is an older system of zodiac constellations in use, one relying on the movement of the Reaper through the skies. In this system, it is usually single stars that form the basis of astronomical study, their rise and fall marked and their names changed depending on whether or not the stars are currently being used in a myth. The tradition has led to a large number of star names across various cultures being derived from Gykkeni.
(NOTE: many of these stars bear inhabited worlds. If named in the parlance of the Nexum, said name is given here.)
Ch'asēong is the local name for the Pole Star of the north.
The star Jisaeng is quite far north, part of a constellation leading to the Pole Star.
Nexum Name: Demeter.