Asterism (⁂) is Unicode U+2042 in the General Punctuation block. It is a single typographic ornament — traditionally three asterisks as one glyph — used as a decorative section or scene break. HTML has no standard named entity — use numeric or CSS forms (or type the character in UTF-8).
Remember
Character ⁂
Unicode U+2042
Hex entity ⁂
Decimal ⁂
Named entity (none)
CSS escape \2042
Not the same * * * (three U+002A)
All of these produce the same glyph: ⁂. Prefer typing ⁂ in UTF-8 when you can; use ⁂ / ⁂ or CSS for generated content.
Asterism using Hex Code: ⁂
Asterism using HTML Code: ⁂
Asterism using CSS Entity: ⁂
Typed directly: ⁂
How It Works
1. Hex:U+2042 → ⁂ in HTML. The browser turns it into ⁂.
2. Decimal: same code point as 8258 → ⁂. Same result as hex.
3. CSS: use \2042 in content (not an HTML entity). #point::after appends that ⁂ after the paragraph text.
4. Typed ⁂: fine in UTF-8 source. All four lines show the same glyph.
Pitfalls & Tips
Common mistakes when working with the asterism (⁂).
Named
No &name; form
U+2042 has no standard named entity — use ⁂ or ⁂.
***
Not three asterisks
Three * characters are not the same as one asterism code point.
a11y
Decoration only
Keep real headings / landmarks. Treat ⁂ as a visual break, not the only structure cue.
CSS vs HTML
Do not mix escapes
\2042 belongs in CSS. ⁂ / ⁂ belong in HTML.
Fonts
Check ornament coverage
Some UI fonts omit a polished U+2042. Prefer fonts with solid General Punctuation coverage.
Semicolon
End references
Always finish with ; — write ⁂, not ⁂.
Compatibility
Browser Support
Asterism (U+2042) and its entity forms (⁂, ⁂, CSS \\2042) are supported in all mainstream browsers. Glyph quality depends on font support for General Punctuation.
✓ Universal support
Asterism (⁂)
Type ⁂, or encode with hex, decimal, or CSS escape — same glyph everywhere encoding is supported.
100%Browser coverage
Google ChromeSupported
Yes
Microsoft EdgeSupported
Yes
Mozilla FirefoxSupported
Yes
Apple SafariSupported
Yes
OperaSupported
Yes
Internet ExplorerAll versions
Yes
U+2042 / entitiesFull support
Bottom line: Prefer a typed ⁂ or ⁂ for section breaks. Use decimal when generating markup, and \\2042 only inside CSS content.
Remember
Key Takeaways
Unicode: asterism is U+2042 (decimal 8258).
HTML: use ⁂ or ⁂ (no named entity).
CSS: use \2042 inside content for generated ornaments.
Watch out: ⁂ ≠ * * *.
One line:U+2042 → ⁂ / ⁂ / CSS \2042.
Frequently Asked Questions
Use ⁂ (hex), ⁂ (decimal), or the CSS escape \2042 in the content property. All render ⁂. You can also paste ⁂ directly if your file is UTF-8. There is no standard named entity.
U+2042 (hex 2042, decimal 8258). Unicode names it ASTERISM. It belongs to the General Punctuation block (U+2000–U+206F).
No. HTML5 / WHATWG does not define a named character reference for U+2042. Prefer ⁂, ⁂, or a typed ⁂ in UTF-8.
No. Three separate asterisks are three U+002A characters. The asterism is a single code point (U+2042) designed as one typographic ornament.
HTML entities (⁂ or ⁂) go in markup. The CSS escape \2042 is used in stylesheets (usually in the content property of ::before/::after). Both render ⁂.
As a decorative section or scene break in articles and books. Do not use it alone as a heading — keep real <section> / heading structure for accessibility.
🤔
Did you know?
Asterism is Unicode U+2042 (decimal 8258) in the General Punctuation block — traditionally three stars as one glyph (⁂). There is no standard named HTML entity. Use it as a decorative section break; keep real headings and landmarks for structure.
