NASA brings Marvel to the universe with constellations named after Thor, Hulk, and others

NASA is bringing pop culture to the stars. In honor of 10 years of the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, new constellations have been named after characters like Godzilla and Thor.

It’s the 10th anniversary of NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, which they acquired in 2008 as part of a partnership with Germany, Italy, France, Sweden, Japan, and even the United States Department of Energy. And in honor of this major anniversary, 21 of the new gamma-ray constellations that the telescope has discovered have been given some very special names.

According to CBR.com, the new constellations have gotten the pop culture treatment, with nods to two of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes being honored. The Marvel Universe has expanded to the stars, as both Thor and the Hulk have been used to help name the new constellations, specifically Thor’s mighty hammer, Mjolnir.

However, it wasn’t just Marvel that NASA honored with their new constellation names. On top of the two Avengers getting the starry spotlight, other constellations were named after Godzilla, Star Trek‘s U.S.S. Enterprise, The Little Prince, and even Doctor Who‘s TARDIS.

For those unfamiliar with what gamma rays are, NASA defines them as the “strongest form of light.” In fact, this light is said to be so powerful that under the right set of circumstances the light can be converted into matter. And it is because of the power of gamma rays and their place in the mythology of both Godzilla and the Hulk that led to NASA’s decision to include them in the naming of the new constellations.

On the NASA website, you can take a look at the 21 new constellations, as well as view an interactive map. You can click on each of the constellations to see the artwork associated with them, while also giving you the chance to get more information about each of them.

Clicking on the link for Mjolnir on the map, for example, leads you to a page that tells you about the roots of the mighty Hammer, how it connects to Thor, and even why they chose the name for this particular constellation. On the Godzilla link, you learn about the character’s history in cinema, while also learning more about the character’s trademark weapon, the heat ray that actually resembles gamma rays. At the same time, you learn more about the stars that actually make up the constellation as well.

With pop culture taking over the skies thanks to NASA, we can now look to the stars for some of our favorite characters and heroes. Will you be looking to the night sky to hunt down Mjolnir, Godzilla, and the Hulk for yourself?