This is actually a normal asterisk, but we can replace it with a centered one.
I used asterisk operator in particular.
If you prefer a different one, you can select one at asterisk | Graphemica Search.
#set math.equation(
numbering: n => {
let symbols = ("∗", "†", "‡", "§", "¶", "‖")
let symbol = symbols.at(calc.rem(n - 1, symbols.len()))
[(#symbol)]
},
number-align: left,
)
$ f = u product g_i space.thin . $