Star Bit

A Star Shard is an item in Super Mario Galaxy. Cosmic Toads give them to Mario quite often, and they seem to be the most common items in the game. When Mario collects enough of them, he'll recieve a 1-Up.

Star Shards come in many colors, and are quite shiny. They are first introduced on an Asteroid Planet, as seen in a screenshot. To collect them, the Player must move the Star Cursor over them.

When Mario is flying through space from a planet to another planet, Star Shards often appear around him. To get them, the player must act quick and touch each of them with the Star Cursor until Mario lands on the next planet.

Additionally, pointing the Star Cursor at an enemy and pressing the B Button will make Mario shoot Star Shards at the foe. After the Star Shards have been fired they cannot be recovered.

The average enemy, such as a Goomba, will give you three Star Shards when you defeat them.