Tips for mapping planets, space routes, and interdimensional realms
Creating a map is one of the most immersive ways to ground your science fantasy setting. But unlike traditional fantasy maps of kingdoms and mountains, science fantasy opens the doors to planetary systems, space lanes, dimensional rifts, and magical ley networks—all of which need to be visualized creatively.
This guide walks you through how to conceptualize and construct a map that encompasses stellar navigation and mystical terrain, giving your readers a sense of place across both time and dimension. I personally like the website Inkarnate to create maps, but I’m sure there are plenty of other map makers out there.
🌌 1. Start with the Macrocosm: Star Systems and Cosmic Geography
Before detailing continents or empires, zoom out.
- How many star systems does your world span?
- Are there major planets, moons, asteroid belts, or artificial satellites that matter to the plot? In my Zalonia books, there are five planets and three moons that orbit the main planet. There is also a space-like station floating around where a certain species is high tech and operate from.
- What is the political and economic relationship between systems?
- Use terms like: Coreworlds: Old, technologically advanced hubs of civilization.
Frontier Systems: Lawless or uncharted space. - Void Corridors: Safe or dangerous navigable regions through hyperspace or aether.
- Worldbuilding Tip: Create an astronavigational chart where trade routes, pirate ambush zones, and ancient ruins are mapped along space currents or magic-tides that flow between systems like oceanic currents.
🌍 2. Planetary Mapping: From Biospheres to Biomes
Once you define your key planets or moons, determine:
- How big are they? For example, there is one planet closer to the sun that appears for the Zalonians. It is approximately the same size as the home planet but is much too hot for life. The fourth planet out is a little bigger than jupitar. The fifth planet out is about have the size of Aztharian (The home planet for Zalonia).
- Are they terraformed or wild?
- Do they follow normal laws of physics or are they magically altered?
- You might include:
- Floating continents powered by crystal levitation
- Ring-shaped worlds orbiting mystic black holes
- Tectonic ley lines that divide magic into hemispheres
- Consider a hexagonal or radial map instead of the traditional rectangular layout if the planet is non-Euclidean or has warped gravity.
🌀 3. Mystical Realms and Interdimensional Territories
In science fantasy, magic may bleed into geography.
Questions to ask:
- Are there planes of existence, dreamscapes, or mirror realms that overlap?
- Do people travel through portals, spacefolds, or arcane gates?
- Is time consistent across locations?
- These could appear on maps as:
- Dimensional rifts marked with ancient symbols
- Magic “knots” where ley lines converge or intersect with dark matter
- Eclipse Zones, where multiple realities overlap temporarily
- Add color-coded dimensional overlays, showing boundaries that change depending on cosmic alignment.
🚀 4. Space Routes and Interplanetary Navigation
Time to chart the roads between stars.
Ideas:
- Wormhole Beacons: Anchors for stable teleportation lanes
- Startrails: Routes powered by magical propulsion
- Pulse-Gates: Planet-sized machines that blink ships across space
- Travel between worlds may depend on:
- Aetheric Winds that blow through space
- Solar tides generated by dying stars
- Covenant Zones: Areas where ancient treaties forbid space magic
- Use icons or trails to mark danger zones, “slipstreams,” and protected sectors.
🏛️ 5. Cultures, Factions, and Mythic Landmarks
Maps are political and cultural tools.
Include:
- Capitals, ruins, academies, and forbidden zones
- Temples aligned with constellations or magical fields
- Cosmic nexuses controlled by rival empires or ancient beings
- Layer mythological geography: places that exist only when moons align, or which appear once every century. These could be represented with fading glyphs or temporal grids.
🧭 6. Design and Artistic Style
Your map style should reflect your world’s tone.
Style choices:
- Digital Holographic Grid: For sleek tech-magic hybrid settings
- Astrological Star Charts: If your setting ties fate to the stars
- Ancient Scrolls or Codices: For magical realms remembered by myths
- Stone-carved Circular Maps: If your cultures view time cyclically
- Include a legend for:
Dimensional zones
Types of transport routes (magic vs tech)
Symbols for guilds, empires, and anomalies
✍️ 7. Practical Uses in Storytelling
- A good map does more than look cool—it serves narrative functions.
- Let characters refer to it when planning a quest or jump
- Use it as a mystery (an old version reveals a long-forgotten gate)
- Create conflicting maps based on cultural perspective or secrecy
- Drop clues on map margins: coordinates to a rogue moon, or a warning in an extinct language
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