Definition of "asterism" [as•ter•ism]

• Printing Three asterisks in a triangular formation used to call attention to a following passage. (noun)
• Astronomy A cluster of stars smaller than a constellation. (noun)
• Mineralogy A six-rayed starlike figure optically produced in some crystal structures by reflected or transmitted light. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Provinces about a man dying in the Mul Nakshatra or lunar asterism, which is perhaps the same or some similar period."
• "As your eyes begin to adjust to the dark, you'll slowly notice that Alpha Tauri is part of a V-shaped pattern of stars called an "asterism"."
• "When I hear the term Big Dipper, I think of the 'asterism' within Ursa Major."