You don’t have to be in an astronomy club to have celestial knowledge infused into your life.

Well known companies branding themselves on constellation names and allusions to astronomy in pop culture provide a daily dose of star knowledge.

Orion

Orion is a prominent constellation visible throughout the world that depicts a hunter decked out with a sword and belt of stars. The name for the constellation has been borrowed for several astronomical products and developments.

NASA is currently developing a spacecraft design under the same name.

The development has been in progress since 2004, according to NASA’s Web site. By the end of the century, NASA hopes to send an exploration crew on Orion to the moon and on to Mars.

Orion Pictures Corporation was formed in 1978 as an American movie production company, according to www.imdb.com. One of its first and most well-known films is “Caddyshack,” although the company has since been bought out.

The company had financial problems in the 1990s and was bought by MGM.

Orion is also used as a brand name for telescopes and as a bi-monthly space magazine.

Sirius

The Hunter constellation – Orion – is accompanied by Sirius, a group of stars that form the shape of a dog. Sirius Satellite radio has borrowed the name to brand its coast-to-coast radio broadcasts and niche stations.

J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, borrowed the name Sirius for her character, Sirius Black, Potter’s godfather and escaped prisoner, who debuted in Rowling’s third novel. Not surprisingly, Black’s Web site explains that his counterpart animal character is a large, black dog.

Subaru

In the bull-shaped constellation, Taurus, there is a series of seven stars called the Seven Sisters, noted for their bright blue color. In Japan, these stars are called Subaru, which translates to “unite.” According to Subaru’s Web site, its logo depicts the six of the seven stars that are visible without a telescope. The stars represent the five smaller companies that merged to create Subaru, one of the largest Japanese car manufacturers.