asterism

listen to the pronunciation of asterism
English - English
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
A star-shaped figure exhibited by some crystals by reflected light (as in a star sapphire) or by transmitted light (as in some mica)
A small group of stars that forms a visible pattern but is not an official constellation

The Big Dipper, Summer Triangle, and Orion's Belt are asterisms.

{n} a set or constellation of fixed stars
A special grouping of stars that are part of a constellation These stars form recognizable figures in the sky An example would be the Big Dipper It is made up of stars in the constellation of Ursa Major also known as the Great Bear, but there are more stars in that constellation that are not part of the Big Dipper
The configuration of stars or "catch figure" used to identify a constellation Example: the Big Dipper is the asterism for Ursa Major
> A gemological phenomenon in which the inclusions of certain polished gemstones produce a star effect when light is reflected off the surface
A named group of stars that is part of a constellation, the Big Dipper is one
An asterism is a star-like luminous effect that reflects light in some gemstones, like star sapphires and star garnets
Asterisms are sub- or supersets of constellations which build a constellation itself, or a group of stars, physically related or not Best known is the Big Dipper as a part of the Great Bear But there are more than just this one Click here for a table of asterisms
(astronomy) a cluster of stars (or a small constellation) (mineralogy) a six-rayed star-shaped figure seen in some crystal structures under reflected or transmitted light
A constellation
(astronomy) a cluster of stars (or a small constellation)
An asterisk, or mark of reference
An optical property of some crystals which exhibit a star-shaped by reflected light, as star sapphire, or by transmitted light, as some mica
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
Three asterisks placed in this manner, &asterism;, to direct attention to a particular passage
A recognizable pattern of bright stars, usually (but not always) associated with a single constellation
A pattern of stars not considered an official constellation
A star effect by some gems when viewed under strong light
A noticeable pattern of stars that makes up part or parts of a constellation The most notable is the "Big Dipper" which is part of Ursa Major and the "Teapot" which is part of Sagittarius
(mineralogy) a six-rayed star-shaped figure seen in some crystal structures under reflected or transmitted light
{i} three asterisks arranged in the shape of a triangle (in printed text)
An especially noticeable star pattern in the sky, such as the Big Dipper
A small cluster of stars
asterism

    Hyphenation

    as·te·ri·sm

    Pronunciation

    Etymology

    () From Ancient Greek ἀστερισμός (“group of stars”), from ἀστήρ (“star”).
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