Naming Stars
An Easytorecall Article
There are a few companies who, for a fee
, offer to name a star after you. The companies who sell this service will name the star only once and will record the name in a book which is usually registered in a copyright office.
But will this name be official? The short answer is - no. Firstly, be aware that there is more than one company offering this service and each one has its own register of star names, so "your" star could end up being "named" after a number of different people. Secondly, the only international authority for naming celestial bodies is The International Astronomical Union. The IAU has special (and pretty complicated!) rules for assigning names, which are then recognised and used by astronomers world wide. I quote: "the IAU dissociates itself entirely from the commercial practice of "selling" fictitious star names or "real estate" on other planets or moons in the Solar System". Visit the IAU page "Naming Astronomical Objects " for more information: http://www.iau.org/public_press/themes/naming/
Even so, you may believe that, even if not officially recognised, it would be fun or romantic to get a star certificate with your name or the name of a loved one on it. If that's the case you can go here for a listing of companies that provide this service.
If, on the other hand, your purpose is to get someone, a child maybe, interested in astronomy, then there are many more useful gifts that you might consider. For example, you can get the National Geographic Star Planetarium for less than £20. Also have a look at our page on orreries - if you scroll down to the bottom of the page we list places where you can buy models of the solar system, with prices from £10 to £1400! Also, many websites sell telescopes suitable for children from about £15.00 to whatever you are prepared to pay. (For a listing of UK companies who sell telescopes online see the telescopes page in the Easytorecall UK Web Directory). An astronomy software package, such as Redshift, (you can get this from Amazon), might be the answer, or have a look at our free astronomy software page which lists some excellent free programs.
And don't forget, there's always books!
