A Constellation is a group of stars that are connected to form an image in the sky. In the Animal Crossing series, constellations can be created in the observatory of the town's museum. After creation, these constellations appear in the sky at certain times of year, but only during nighttime.
Constellations first appeared in Wild World, and also featured in City Folk. They feature on the cover of the Wild World packaging, and on the covers of instruction manuals for both Wild World and City Folk. They do not reappear in Animal Crossing: New Leaf, as Celeste now runs a shop on the upper floor of the museum, which is a public works project.
Creating a Constellation
After entering the observatory, the Player must interact with the large telescope in the center of the room. By doing this, and subsequently selecting the "Constellation" option, the Player is presented with a rotational view of the night sky. Here, stars can be selected, linked, and unlinked with near-infinite possibilities. There are limiting factors, however - a constellation may only have 16 links in it, and every star must be, even if indirectly, linked to every other star in the shape. Once created, the constellation must be named. Only a certain number of constellations can be created. Each constellation has a peak viewing time; this time can be anywhere in the year, and changes depending on whereabouts it was created. Constellations may also be edited and deleted.
After creation, constellations may be seen in the night sky. Whether it is visible or not depends on the placement of the constellation in observatory during its creation. Residents of the Player's town may comment on a visible constellation, and may sometimes discuss how fitting its name is. In City Folk, Katrina the fortune-teller may refer to one of the Player's creations and its relevance to the Player's fortune. If a Player travels to another town, one of their constellations may appear in the sky of the host's town.