Stars in the Past

Thousands of years ago, humanity looked to the stars. Some cultures made wishes upon stars. Others believed they were the souls of the dead. Some cultures studied the stars to predict the future. This wascalled astrology and the people who studied the stars for these reasons were called astrologers. When disasters, or catastrophes, occurred, people sometimes it was because the stars were in a bad position.

Stars in Present Day

Other studied the stars for other reasons. For example, sailors would use an astrolabe to navigate. Astronomers would study the stars to learn more about the world. Astronomers are probably some of the biggest astrophiles since they love the stars enough to make it their career. Today, many children dream of traveling to the stars as an astronaut. To reach even the nearest stars we will need to travel astronomical distances. The asteroid belts are much closer so we will probably explore them much sooner.

Other Stars

Even objects not directly related to the stars share this root. Take the asterisk which received its name because it was shaped like a star. Another example would be that all starfish belong to the asterozoa family. There is even a flower called an aster. Please feel free to share any other “aster” or “astro” words you know. If you are interested in worksheets for “astro” and “aster” root word, you can find them here.

Vocabulary Words With Aster and Astro

  1. asterisk: star-shaped symbol
  2. asteroid: large rock orbiting a star
  3. asterozoa: members of the starfish family of animals
  4. astrologer: person who studies the stars to predict the future
  5. astrology: study of the stars to predict the future
  6. astronaut: person who travels to the stars
  7. astronomer: person who studies the stars to understand the universe
  8. astronomical: something large, such as distance between stars
  9. astronomy: study of the stars to understand the universe
  10. astrophile: person who loves the stars
  11. catastrophe: sudden event that causes great damage
  12. disaster: suddent event that causes great damag
Aster (Astro) Root Word
Aster and Astro Root Words