A type of fossil or a mineral that resembles a star, or a trilobite fossil that has a star-like appearance.
From Greek aster (star) plus the mineralogical suffix -ite (used for minerals and fossils). This geological term literally means 'star-like stone.'
Ancient people called certain star-shaped fossils 'asterites' and thought they were stars that had fallen to Earth—a beautiful example of how our ancestors explained geology through mythology!
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