Star (disambiguation) - Definition and Overview

Star has several meanings in different fields:

• Sciences
  • In astronomy, a star is any shining object in the sky (common usage), or a massive gaseous object producing energy by nuclear fusion (professional usage)
  • In combinatorial game theory, star is the value of a game where the first player to move wins
  • Computer science refers to a type of network topology as a star network

• Symbols
  • In geometry, a star is a geometric shape drawn with a number of lines twice the number of points
    • A star polygon is a star drawn with a number of lines equal to the number of points
      • A five-pointed star polygon, the pentagram or pentacle, sometimes has magical, magickal and/or occult associations
      • A six-pointed star polygon, the hexagram often known as the Star of David or Jewish Star, can symbolise Israel and/or Jews
      • A seven-pointed star polygon, the heptagram sometimes has magickal or Australian associations
  • Heraldry generally refers to the shapes popularly called "stars" as mullets (heraldic language refers to a representation of an astronomical star as an estoil)
  • In typography, a star is any of a number of star-shaped glyphs
  • A red star with five points can represent communism
  • Medals and decorations often take the form of stars, and some of these use "star" as part of their name: see for example the Africa Star, Silver Star, Award star
  • A enumerated series of stars, as international symbols, can serve to classify hotels and restaurants
  • U.S. Army officer rank insignia, featuring stars for senior personnel, have given rise to the informal designations One-star general through Five-star general

• Entertainment
  • A prominent person in sport or other endeavours may gain the kudos of a celebrity "star"
  • A movie star is a famous movie actor
  • In popular music, a star is a popular music performer
  • In fireworks, a pyrotechnic star is a solid piece of pyrotechnic mixture which is loaded into a shell
  • Sailing features a class of small racing sailboats called the Star class

• Specific Uses
  • In law enforcement the acronym STAR stands for "Special Tactics and Rescue or Response" -- a unit similar to a SWAT Team
  • The shipping line Black Star served in the repatriation of African Americans
  • Pamela Anderson called her 2004 debut novel Star
  • Star TV, owned by the News Corporation, offers a television service in Asia
  • Greek television has a terrestrial channel called Star Channel
  • Star 94 is an Atlanta radio station
  • Star Alliance is an airline alliance