asterism

  1. Noun.  (constellation) A small group of stars that forms a visible pattern but is not an official constellation.
  2. Noun.  A rarely used typographical symbol (⁂, three asterisks arranged in a triangle), used to call attention to a passage or to separate sub-chapters in a book.
  3. Noun.  (mineralogy) A star-shaped figure exhibited by some crystals by reflected light (as in a star sapphire) or by transmitted light (as in some mica).

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This entry was last updated on RefTopia from its source on 3/20/2012.