Fixed Stars

Citation Formats

General Reference

Divinity Atlas. "Fixed Stars." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://www.divinityatlas.com/categories/fixed-stars.

APA Style

Divinity Atlas. (n.d.). Fixed Stars. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://www.divinityatlas.com/categories/fixed-stars

BibTeX

@misc{divinityatlas-fixed-stars,
  author = {Divinity Atlas},
  title = {Fixed Stars},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://www.divinityatlas.com/categories/fixed-stars},
  note = {Accessed August 30, 2026}
}

The fixed stars are the individual named stars used in astrology, distinguished from the planets by their apparently unchanging positions. Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos assigns each a planetary nature, and the medieval Arabic and Latin traditions added magical images, sigils and uses; the fifteen Behenian stars of medieval magic are the best-known subset. Most star names in use today are Arabic in origin, inherited through Latin translation.

Facts

Origins

Place of Origin

Mesopotamian celestial omen literature and Greek astronomy, reaching the Latin West through Arabic intermediaries 2

Origin of the Name

A large share of the star names in use, Aldebaran, Algol, Altair, Betelgeuse and many more, are Arabic, reaching Europe through Latin translations of Arabic astronomical works, often garbled in transmission. 3

Overview

What Defines This Grouping

Individual named fixed stars carrying an interpretive reputation in astrology, as against the constellation patterns they belong to. The set is open: no tradition fixes a canonical list, and different authors read different stars. 1

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The Fixed Stars in Astrology

The fixed stars are the individual named stars used in astrology (Aldebaran, Regulus, Antares, Sirius, Algol and the rest), distinguished from the planets by their apparently unchanging positions relative to one another. In a chart a planet or angle conjunct a notable fixed star is read as taking on that star's character.

Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos assigns each prominent star a planetary nature, Aldebaran is of the nature of Mars, Regulus of Mars and Jupiter, and the medieval Arabic and Latin traditions added magical images and used the brightest stars, the "behenian" stars, in talismanic magic.

Character and Use

The great fixed stars carry strong and often fated reputations in the tradition (Regulus the royal star of honour and downfall, Algol the most ill-omened point in the sky, Spica a star of gifts), and they are read chiefly by conjunction with the planets, the angles or the lights. Their slow movement by precession, about a degree in seventy years, means their positions must be updated over the centuries.

The atlas gives each star its position, its Ptolemaic planetary nature, and its traditional meaning and magical use. The stars sit among the finer factors of the chart alongside the decans and the constellations they belong to.

Cross-Tradition Connections