#asterisc

• Asterisk — A typographic star-shaped symbol (), used in printed matters, edited texts, or manuscripts to direct the reader to a footnote, a marginal explanation, or a supplement at the bottom of the page or end of the volume; it is also utilized in computer science as a multiplication operator or a global wildcard symbol.
• Asteriscus — A genus of herbaceous or suffruticose plants in the Asteraceae family, distributed primarily throughout desert, Mediterranean, and Macaronesian regions; characterized by large, bright golden-yellow flower heads surrounded by a rigid whorl of green leaf-like bracts, highly resilient to severe drought and salinity conditions.
• Asteriscus maritimus — The scientific name of the gold coin aster (or sea daisy, recently reclassified as Pallenis maritima), a low-growing, mat-forming perennial plant in the Artsaceae family, native to the Mediterranean region; it is widely cultivated as an ornamental groundcover due to its bright golden-yellow flowers and outstanding resistance to salinity, maritime winds, and extreme drought.
• Asterism — A remarkable optical phenomenon found in certain crystals and gemstones (such as star sapphires or star rubies), manifested by a star-shaped light reflection with multiple rays, caused by light refraction on geometrically oriented micro-inclusions; in astronomy, it denotes a small group of stars forming a recognized geometric figure in the night sky that is not an official constellation; in typography, it represents a group of three asterisks (⁂) used to separate text sections.
• Asteronym — A type of hidden pseudonym or a masking of an author's identity by using a cluster of three or more asterisks (***) in place of the real name; a cryptonymic device historically used in literature and journalism to sign anonymous articles or literary works, protecting the writer's identity within a magazine.