Constellation

The term constellation is often used in polyamorous relationships to describe the intricate web of partners that is formed when multiple people connect in multiple ways. It is also linked to the analogy used in satellite partners and comet partners, where it describes relationships between partners and partners of partners in those relationships. People will talk about "their constellation," meaning the people that they are connected with and the people connected to those people, and so on. The distance that they look will vary from person to person and what connections there are.

A constellation is sometimes also referred to as a polycule. This term uses the molecule analogy, because the interconnected relationships are similar to how atoms are connected by bonds to form a molecule.

Constellation as an Analogy in Polyamorous Relationships

The term constellation is also used as a way to describe how everyone is at the center of their own constellation and how they use their perspective to look at the world. This is linked to the idea that we are each the center of our own observable universe. In this school of thought, the constellation analogy is used to describe how people are part of your sphere of influence and how they also have other forces working on them.