Asterism (typography)

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Template:Short description Template:Infobox symbol In typography, an asterism, Template:Char, is a typographic symbol consisting of three asterisks placed in a triangle, which is used for a variety of purposes. The name originates from the astronomical term for a group of stars.[1]

The asterism was originally used as a type of dinkus in typography, though increasingly rarely.[2] It can also be used to mean "untitled" or author or title withheldTemplate:Snd as seen, for example, in some editions of Album for the Young by composer Robert Schumann ( 21, 26, and 30).[3]

In meteorology, an asterism in a station model plot indicates moderate snowfall.[4][5]

Dinkus

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Asterisms in use
Asterisms used as dinkuses in the James Joyce novel Ulysses, the "Wandering Rocks" chapter, from the 1922 edition.[6] The 1961 edition used a hollow white star (☆), and the 1984 edition used a row of three asterisks.

A dinkus is a typographical device to divide text, such as at section breaks. Its purpose is to "indicate minor breaks in text",[7] to call attention to a passage, or to separate sub-chapters in a book. An asterism used this way is thus a type of dinkus: nowadays this usage of the symbol is nearly obsolete.[2] More commonly used dinkuses are three dots or three asterisks in a horizontal row.[8][9]

See also

References

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  1. From the Greek astēr (star) Alexander Humez, Nicholas D. Humez (2008). On the Dot: The Speck That Changed the World, p. 72 & 186n. Template:ISBN.
  2. a b Radim Peško, Louis Lüthi (2007). Dot Dot Dot 13, p. 193. Stuart Bailey, Peter Bilak, eds. Template:ISBN.
  3. Taruskin, Richard (2005). The Oxford history of western music, Volume 3, p. 311. Template:ISBN.
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