In
typography
Typography is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable and appealing when displayed. The arrangement of type involves selecting typefaces, point sizes, line lengths, line-spacing ( leading), an ...
, an asterism, ⁂, is a typographic symbol consisting of three
asterisks
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star.
Computer scientists ...
placed in a
triangle
A triangle is a polygon with three edges and three vertices. It is one of the basic shapes in geometry. A triangle with vertices ''A'', ''B'', and ''C'' is denoted \triangle ABC.
In Euclidean geometry, any three points, when non- colline ...
, which is used for a variety of purposes. The name originates from the
astronomical
Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, galaxi ...
term for a
group of stars.
[From the Greek ''astēr'' (star) Alexander Humez, Nicholas D. Humez (2008). ''On the Dot: The Speck That Changed the World'', p. 72 & 186n. .]
The asterism was originally used as a type of
dinkus in typography, though increasingly rarely.
It can also be used to mean "untitled" or author or title withheld as seen, for example, in some editions of ''
Album for the Young'' by composer
Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...
(
№ 21, 26, and 30).
In
meteorology
Meteorology is a branch of the atmospheric sciences (which include atmospheric chemistry and physics) with a major focus on weather forecasting. The study of meteorology dates back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did no ...
, an asterism in a
station model indicates moderate snowfall.
Dinkus
A dinkus is a typographical device to divide text, such as at
section breaks. Its purpose is to "indicate minor breaks in text", 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.
[Radim Peško, Louis Lüthi (2007). ''Dot Dot Dot 13'', p. 193. Stuart Bailey, Peter Bilak, eds. .] More commonly used dinkuses are three
dots
Directly observed treatment, short-course (DOTS, also known as TB-DOTS) is the name given to the tuberculosis (TB) control strategy recommended by the World Health Organization. According to WHO, "The most cost-effective way to stop the spread of T ...
or three asterisks in a horizontal row.
A small black and white drawing
or a
fleuron (
❧)
may be used for the same purpose. Otherwise, an extra
space
Space is the boundless three-dimensional extent in which objects and events have relative position and direction. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually consi ...
between paragraphs is used. A dinkus may be used in conjunction with the extra space to mark a smaller subdivision than a sub-chapter.
See also
*
Dingbat
In typography, a dingbat (sometimes more formally known as a printer's ornament or printer's character) is an ornament, specifically, a glyph used in typesetting, often employed to create box frames, (similar to box-drawing characters) or as ...
*
Ellipsis
The ellipsis (, also known informally as dot dot dot) is a series of dots that indicates an intentional omission of a word, sentence, or whole section from a text without altering its original meaning. The plural is ellipses. The term origin ...
(three dots in mid-sentence)
*
Signature mark
A signature mark, in traditional bookbinding, is a letter, number or combination of either or both, which is printed at the bottom of the first page, or leaf, of a section. (The section is itself often known as a "signature", although technical ...
References
{{navbox punctuation
Typographical symbols
Punctuation