LMCI Sky Culture on Stellarium

The LMCI Biblical Mazzaroth is now fully compatible with the latest version of Stellarium (25.x and newer).

Based on LMCI's extensive research in the field of Christological Astronomy, LMCI has assembled a Biblical Mazzaroth — a constellation map of the heavens that reveals the Gospel message written in the stars.

Mazzaroth is a Biblical Hebrew word found in the Book of Job, literally meaning a Garland of Crowns. Its context is that of astronomical constellations, interpreted as the celestial proclamation of the promised Messiah. Each constellation, star, and planet speaks of Him.

This constellation map (planisphere) designed by LMCI is what we believe to be the most accurate representation of the celestial Word of God since the time of Noah. After thorough research of star names and astronomical laws, we produced a Mazzaroth that honors the Astrologos and the revelation of His identity in the heavens. The map has been digitally reproduced with amazing detail so that star names and magnitudes are clearly visible, and the twelve major constellations and their amplifiers have been color coded to clarify their identities.


You can purchase a book on the history and truth of the Zodiac and a 24″ × 24″ color chart of the Mazzaroth in our bookstore by clicking here.

LMCI Mazzaroth Chart

Installing the LMCI Sky Culture on Stellarium

Working in cooperation with Atlanta Bible Fellowship and IDK Computer Systems, LMCI has updated its Sky Culture files to work with the latest versions of Stellarium. Stellarium uses the terms Sky Culture and Starlore to describe pictorial interpretations of the constellations. Each Sky Culture enables constellation artwork and boundaries to be displayed in the heavens.

The updated Sky Culture package uses Stellarium’s modern file format and includes all 47 constellation artwork images fully aligned to their star positions.

What You Need

Stellarium — Version 23.1 or Later (Version 25.x Recommended)

Download and install the latest version of Stellarium for free from stellarium.org. The updated LMCI Sky Culture files are compatible with Stellarium 23.1 through the current release (25.4 and newer). The old separate JPL Ephemeris files that were previously required are no longer needed — Stellarium now includes its own built-in ephemeris data.

Note: If you have Stellarium version 22 or older already installed, we recommend updating to the latest version before proceeding.

LMCI Sky Culture Files

The download package contains three components that Stellarium needs to display the LMCI Biblical Mazzaroth:

  • index.json — The constellation definitions, star connections, and artwork anchoring data in Stellarium’s current format
  • description.md — Background text describing the LMCI Sky Culture and its biblical and historical roots
  • illustrations\ — A folder containing 47 full-color constellation artwork images, each precisely aligned to its stars

Installation Steps

Step 1 — Download the Sky Culture Files

Click the link below to download the LMCI Sky Culture zip file to your preferred downloads folder.

Download the LMCI Sky Culture Files

Step 2 — Extract the Zip File

Right-click the downloaded zip file and select Extract All. Extract it to the same folder where you downloaded it, or to any convenient location. This will create an LMCI folder containing index.json, description.md, and the illustrations\ subfolder.

Step 3 — Copy the LMCI Folder into Stellarium

Copy the entire LMCI folder into Stellarium’s skycultures directory. The default location is:

C:\Program Files\Stellarium\skycultures\

After copying, the path to the main file should read:
C:\Program Files\Stellarium\skycultures\LMCI\index.json

Note: Windows may ask for administrator permission to copy files into Program Files. Click Yes or Continue to allow it.

If you installed Stellarium to a different location, navigate to that folder and place the LMCI folder inside its skycultures directory.

Activating the LMCI Sky Culture in Stellarium

Once the files are in place, launch Stellarium and follow these steps:

  1. Move your mouse to the lower-left corner of the Stellarium window to reveal the icon toolbar.
  2. Click the Sky and Viewing Options icon (it looks like a landscape with stars).
  3. In the window that opens, click the Starlore tab at the top.
  4. In the list of sky cultures on the left, scroll down to find and click LMCI Biblical Mazzaroth.
  5. On the right side, select which display options you want:
    • Show constellation lines — draws the connecting lines between stars
    • Show constellation art — overlays the LMCI Mazzaroth artwork on the sky
    • Show constellation labels — displays the constellation names
    • Show constellation boundaries — outlines each constellation’s boundary region
  6. Optional: Check “Use this sky culture as default” to have the LMCI Sky Culture open automatically every time you launch Stellarium.

You will now see the heavens displayed with the LMCI Biblical Mazzaroth constellation artwork, exactly as researched and designed by Liberating Ministries for Christ International.

Using the LMCI Sky Culture with the Birth Sky Map

The LMCI Sky Culture is also the foundation of the LMCI Christological Sky Map — an online interactive sky viewer available at lmci.org that displays the sky as it appeared at any date and location in history. This tool uses the same LMCI Biblical Mazzaroth artwork and is especially useful for birth sky research and Christological astronomy study.

The online sky map requires no installation and runs directly in your web browser.

Troubleshooting

The LMCI Sky Culture does not appear in Stellarium’s Starlore list.
Confirm that the LMCI folder is directly inside the skycultures directory and that it contains the file index.json. If you placed the folder inside another subfolder, move it one level up. Then close and reopen Stellarium.

The constellation artwork does not display.
Make sure the illustrations\ subfolder is inside the LMCI folder and contains the PNG image files. In Stellarium, confirm that Show constellation art is checked in the Starlore tab.

I have an older version of Stellarium installed.
The updated LMCI Sky Culture files use Stellarium’s current format (introduced in version 23.1). They will not work with Stellarium 22 or earlier. Download the latest Stellarium from stellarium.org and reinstall.

Windows asks for permission when copying to Program Files.
This is normal Windows behavior when writing to the Program Files folder. Click Yes or Continue when prompted.

For questions or support, please contact us.