Star (grapheme)

Key takeaways

Star (grapheme) belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Star (grapheme) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Star (grapheme) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

In typography, a star is any of several graphemes with a number of points arrayed within an imaginary circle. A commonly used star symbol is the asterisk. The list below is arranged by number of points typically found on the star grapheme, but the character displayed may differ according which computer font is being used by the viewer's system. A type designer may specify a glyph for a particular grapheme that has a different number of points from that chosen by another designer for the same grapheme. For example, whether the asterisk grapheme has a five‑ or a six-point glyph depends on typeface. In this article, the characters displayed are representative glyphs, whose appearance is determined by the system font on the reader's computer operating systems and web browsers: a colleague using a different system may see slightly different forms. For the same reason, some glyphs may be shown on some systems in their emoji variant rather than their text form.

Four points ✦ ✧ ✨ ⌑ 𖥔

U+2726 ✦ BLACK FOUR POINTED STAR (any solid colour, such as ✦) U+2727 ✧ WHITE FOUR POINTED STAR (any outline colour, such as ✧) U+2728 ✨ SPARKLES U+2311 ⌑ SQUARE LOZENGE U+16954 𖥔 BAMUM LETTER PHASE-D SHII

Five points

* *️⃣ ◌⃰ ≛ ⋆ ⍟ ⍣ ★ ☆ ☪ ☪️ ⚝ ⛤ ⛥ ⛦ ⛧ ✩ ✪ ✫ ✬ ✭ ✮ ✯ ✰ ⭐ ⭑ ⭒ 🌟 🌠 𖤐 ٭

U+002A * ASTERISK When combined with U+FE0F ◌️ VARIATION SELECTOR-16 and U+20E3 ◌⃣ COMBINING ENCLOSING KEYCAP this character is displayed as the emoji Keycap Asterisk: *️⃣ U+20F0 ◌⃰ COMBINING ASTERISK ABOVE U+225B ≛ STAR EQUALS U+22C6 ⋆ STAR OPERATOR U+235F ⍟ APL FUNCTIONAL SYMBOL CIRCLE STAR U+2363 ⍣ APL FUNCTIONAL SYMBOL STAR DIAERESIS U+2605 ★ BLACK STAR U+2606 ☆ WHITE STAR U+262A ☪ STAR AND CRESCENT This character has an emoji presentation (☪️) when used with U+FE0F ️ VARIATION SELECTOR-16. U+269D ⚝ OUTLINED WHITE STAR U+26E4 ⛤ PENTAGRAM U+26E5 ⛥ RIGHT-HANDED INTERLACED PENTAGRAM U+26E6 ⛦ LEFT-HANDED INTERLACED PENTAGRAM U+26E7 ⛧ INVERTED PENTAGRAM U+2729 ✩ STRESS OUTLINED WHITE STAR U+272A ✪ CIRCLED WHITE STAR U+272B ✫ OPEN CENTRE BLACK STAR U+272C ✬ BLACK CENTRE WHITE STAR U+272D ✭ OUTLINED BLACK STAR U+272E ✮ HEAVY OUTLINED BLACK STAR U+272F ✯ PINWHEEL STAR U+2730 ✰ SHADOWED WHITE STAR U+2B50 ⭐ WHITE MEDIUM STAR U+2B51 ⭑ BLACK SMALL STAR U+2B52 ⭒ WHITE SMALL STAR U+1F31F 🌟 GLOWING STAR U+1F320 🌠 SHOOTING STAR U+16910 𖤐 BAMUM LETTER PHASE-D NGKEURI U+204E ⁎ LOW ASTERISK U+066D ٭ ARABIC FIVE POINTED STAR

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Star (grapheme)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Star (grapheme) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Star (grapheme) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Star (grapheme) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Star (grapheme)

In research: Star (grapheme) appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Star (grapheme) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Star (grapheme) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Star symbols, Typographical symbols, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Star (grapheme) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study Star (grapheme) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Star (grapheme) means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Star (grapheme) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Star (grapheme) in simple terms?

In typography, a star is any of several graphemes with a number of points arrayed within an imaginary circle. A commonly used star symbol is the asterisk.

Why does Star (grapheme) matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Star (grapheme)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Star (grapheme).