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What you need to know FIRST!
(1)
Can I Buy or Name a Star?
![[Stars]](Preimages/stars1.gif) Question:
Can I buy a star, or have one named?
Answer:
No.
Question:
But I heard there were organizations that would do this for you. Isn't that
true?
Answer:
There are organizations that will take your money and send you a certificate,
but those documents have no validity and are not recognized by anyone else.
There are at least a half-dozen companies or individuals who claim the ability
to name stars. However, no private company has ever been granted the authority
to name stars by any government, professional astronomical organization, or
international treaty.
Question:
But the company says that these stars are "officially registered" or
"copyrighted" (with the
Library of Congress or
the U.S. Patent
Office). Doesn't that make them legitimate or
official?
Answer:
"Officially registered" can simply mean "registered with the star-naming
company." This does not mean that anyone outside of the company will accept
the list of stars and their "names" as valid. "Official" is a word without
much meaning under the law, and thus can be used very loosely.
A copyright can be obtained for one's
grocery list. A lot of printed material is copyrighted each year, not all of
it accurate or true. In any event, the
Library of Congress and
the U.S. Patent
Office do not have the authority to name
stars, and therefore cannot confer such authority onto any private business or
person. Some companies strongly imply that they have such authority without
actually saying it in so many words. Fancy graphics, claims of a special
"vault in Switzerland," celebrity "endorsements" and other techniques are
sometimes used to create this impression. Read very carefully what they
promise (or more importantly, what they do not promise).
Also, the people of the United States makes
up less than 5% of the world population. It's arrogant and ethnocentric to
think that a private company based in America (or even the U.S. Government)
can take upon themselves the right to name stars for the rest of the human
race.
Bottom line: The
International Astronomical
Union is the only organization with
the ability to name anything in the sky. It is part of their official
function. They get this right from international scientific consensus and the
mutual assent of astronomers from everywhere in the world. No private company
has ever been given such authority. The
IAU does not
name stars after people.
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(2) What do you get for
your money?
Question:
What do you get for your money?
![[Scamtificate]](Preimages/example.jpg)
Answer:
Not much.
Essentially, you get a colorful certificate
and a sky chart showing a tiny portion of the sky. For an additional (usually
large) fee, you can sometimes buy a copy of a book, self-published by the
company, which lists all the names of the people who have given them money.
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(3) How can I see the
star I named?
Question:
I just named a star or received one as a gift and I'd
like to see it. How do I find it?
Answer:
Seeing the star will be very difficult.
The stars "named" by these companies are
almost never visible to the unaided eye. They can be very hard to find, even
with a large, computer controlled telescope used at a nice dark location.
Celestial coordinates are usually included, but are often inaccurate or not
specific enough. The star charts provided for the customer are sometimes just
photocopies from a book, with a black dot circled in red. Often the dot is
hand-drawn on the map (making the problem of positional error nearly
impossible to overcome). For these reasons it is very unlikely that you will
ever see the star you "named".
Understand that no planetarium,
observatory, university, or astronomer is obligated to show the star to you.
They don't get any of the money, after all. If you should find someone willing
to try to show it to you, be aware that this person is doing you a big favor.
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(4) Will astronomers
ever refer to my star by the name I give it?
Question:
Will astronomers ever refer to my star by the name I gave it?
Answer:
Never.
The vast majority of stars simply have
catalog numbers, and always will. Astronomers (both professional and amateur)
use these numbers because they are easy to look up in databases or catalogs.
There is simply no good reason to name a star so faint it cannot be seen
(unless it has very special properties).
The companies that "name" stars do not
distribute copies of their books or lists to observatories or universities, so
how would an astronomer ever know about the name you gave it? Even if
astronomers did get copies of these lists, they would ignore them.
Finally, there is nothing to keep different
companies from "naming" the same star after different people. Indeed, one
particular star selling company on the world wide web states up front that
they sell naming rights to stars without checking to see if another company
has already sold them. In this case, which names should the astronomer use?
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(5) How do things in the
sky get their names?
Question:
You say that I can't name a star, but many things in the sky already have
names. How do they get those names?
Answer:
The names of astronomical objects are determined by the
International Astronomical
Union (IAU).
Usually, the only time an object is named after a living person is when that
person (or persons) discover the object (e.g. Comet Levy was discovered by
David Levy, Barnard's Star was discovered by E.E. Barnard, etc.).
Planetary names come from Roman
mythology. This also holds true in the case of planetary moons, although many
of the moons of Uranus were named after characters from Shakespeare's "A
Midsummer's Night's Dream." These names are approved by the
IAU.
![[Starchart]](Preimages/orion.jpg) Star
names come to us via historical convention. Most of the stars that have
individual names were named thousands of years ago and were first cataloged by
Ptolomey in ancient Egypt. The names come from folklore, mythology and
location (such as Polaris). All stars are also given a numerical designation
based on the constellation in which they're found and their relative
brightness. The brightest are given a Greek letter designation followed by the
name of the constellation such as Alpha Centauri, Sigma Draconis, etc. After
the last letter of the Greek alphabet (omega) is used, the remaining stars are
given numerical designations followed by the constellation name such as 51
Pegasi, 38 Ursa Majoris, etc.
![[Mooncraters]](Preimages/mooncraters.jpg) Craters
and planetary feature names can have various origins. For example, the
IAU
has asked that the names of famous women (particularly in the sciences) be
submitted for naming features on the surface of Venus that have recently been
revealed by the Magellan probe.
The discoverers of numbered minor
planets (asteroids) have the traditional privilege of proposing a name for
their discoveries. Asteroids named after musicians Frank Zappa, Jerry Garcia
and John Lennon were all named by sympathetic discoverers. The
IAU
retains veto power over inappropriate names.
![[Hale-Bopp]](Preimages/hale-bopp.jpg) Comets
are named after the person or persons who discover them first. Example: Comet
Hale-Bopp was discovered at the same time by Mr. Hale and Mr. Bopp. There are
a few exceptions to this, like in the case of Halley's Comet (Halley didn't
discover it, he just predicted when it would appear again, which verified
Newton's laws of Motion).
Objects that were named prior to the
formation of the
IAU still retain their names.
For more information on this function
of the IAU,
see the
Royal Greenwich Observatory leaflet, "The
Naming of Stars" at:
http://www.rog.nmm.ac.uk/leaflets/name/name.html
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(6) Come on! Why can't
we do this, just for fun?
Question:
Come on! Why can't we do this, just for fun?
Answer:
It's your money. Just understand that you will be paying for a "novelty" item
that has no validity within the scientific community.
Still, if it is "just for fun", you might
as well save money and print out your own certificate. It will be just as
valid. All you need is a printer and some nice paper.
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(7) What else can I do?
Question:
So what else can I do? I want to (a): do something special and romantic for my
significant other, or (b): help myself and/or others deal with the untimely
death of a loved one.
![[Goodies]](Preimages/flowerscandy.jpg)
Answer:
(a): Flowers are romantic. So are chocolates (and they taste better than that
silly certificate would). Wine, a fine meal, a stay in a fancy hotel, any of
these would do nicely also. Truly, it is as they say, "the thought that
counts".
(b): Again, this is a difficult case. One might suggest (for example) a
donation to an organization like the
American Cancer Society
(if the child died of cancer), or
M.A.D.D. (if the child
died in a car accident). Also, many public institutions like observatories,
zoos, and museums have fund raising opportunities where you can make a
donation in someone else's name. That person is then honored with a plaque on
the wall or an engraved paving brick in a walkway. The advantage here is that
your money goes to a good cause which will be of benefit to everyone. In
addition, it's a lot easier for the family to go see their loved one's
memorial brick than it is to see one of those extremely faint stars.
If you feel you need to buy something
astronomical for yourself or a friend, get a subscription to one of the
astronomy magazines like "Astronomy"
or "Sky and
Telescope," a book, a planisphere or tickets
to a planetarium show. In this manner, you can connect with the universe of
astronomy and get some value for your money.
Other gift ideas:
Membership in the
International Dark-Sky Association
Membership in a local astronomy club, planetarium, or observatory
Star atlas
Astronomy computer programs
A pair of binoculars
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(8) How can I contact a
star selling company?
![[Phone]](Preimages/phone.gif) Question:
I still want to do this. Can you give me names,
addresses, and/or phone numbers of some star selling companies so I can
contact them?
Answer:
Sorry, no. This FAQ is intended to help the public make an informed choice. It
isn't here to promote or assist the star-naming "industry". Also, to name any
specific companies here would be to risk a lawsuit from them (seriously).
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(9) Why do astronomers
seem to get so upset about all this?
![[RGO]](Preimages/greenwich.jpg) Question:
Why do astronomers get upset by this?
Answer:
Not all astronomers do.
Many feel that this is a simple case of
"buyer beware," that consumers need to think carefully about all of their
purchases to avoid being taken advantage of. Others strongly believe that
star-naming is fraud or (at the very least) deceptive and morally wrong
(depending on the specific star-naming company and the information presented
in their advertisements). Still others take a middle view, seeing this as a
problem, but a small one in the grand scheme of things and not worth getting
worked up over.
Opinions run from the indifferent to the
indignant. Probably the best that one can say about private companies naming
stars is that it falls into a "gray area" of the law. Bottom line, remember,
is that no private company or individual has ever been given the authority to
name stars.
Question:
Who is really hurt by this?
Answer:
That depends a lot on what you consider to be harm. The money involved in any
given "sale" is generally between $20 and $100. Some people do not think that
this is enough money to be really harmful. Others disagree and believe that as
long as the consumer thinks he is really naming a star, he has been deceived
and that this deceit has caused harm. It is also very difficult to put a
dollar amount on the emotional suffering of a person who discovers that the
"memorial star" supposedly named for a beloved relative was, in fact, not
really named.
Whatever one thinks about the amount money
involved, this practice can cause problems for those who do not share in the
profits.
Most observatories and planetaria, for
example, get calls or visits from people wanting to see the star they "named".
Of course, the institution could refuse to help them and just tell the truth,
("Sorry, this certificate is in no way valid. No private company has the
authority to name stars.") but what if the star was "named" for a dead child?
Suddenly, one is placed in the position of either telling them the truth and
breaking their hearts, or going along with their request, showing them the
star, not saying anything, and becoming silent partners with the star-namers.
Many see this as an ethical dilemma. It can be quite upsetting to the
astronomer who has to deal with it.
Sometimes the people who pay to have
a star "named" think that astronomers or planetarians are somehow obligated to
show them these stars, and become angry if they cannot be found. After all, if
the star name is really "official," then the astronomer should be able to show
it to you, right? Then one is placed in a different sort of uncomfortable
situation. Sometimes nothing can be said or done to mollify such a deceived
individual. See
this personal website
for one such story.
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(10) So What Are You
Doing About It?
Question:
Why do astronomers allow star-naming to continue?
Answer:
That's a fair question.
Although many people believe that this
practice amounts to fraud, there are no specific laws against selling the
"right" to "name" stars. Therefore, it would be very difficult to force the
companies involved to stop. Astronomers are not police officers or
prosecutors, and thus do not have the authority to issue "cease and desist"
orders.
There are various government organizations
with the mandate to protect consumers. The Federal Trade Commission is one.
Every state has an Attorney General, and many states and cities have Consumer
Affairs departments. These organizations could do something, but it appears
that for the time being star-naming is not seen as a serious enough problem
for much action to be taken. Only if a lot of people complain will these
organizations investigate.
What we *ARE* doing is Informing the public
of the truth. As long as everyone knows that you cannot REALLY name a star,
and that the certificate you receive is just a piece of paper, we will be
happy. The bottom line is allowing all consumers to make an informed choice.
Many astronomers and astronomical organizations have web sites devoted to this
issue.
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(11) Additional
Information
International Astronomical Union
Official Statement
The IAU
is the ONLY organization with the authority to name anything in the sky. This
authority was given to them by international treaty. Their statement about the
"naming" of stars is clear, to the point, and can be found at:
http://www.iau.org/IAU/FAQ/starnames.html
IPS Official Statement
The
International Planetarium Society is a group
of planeraria and professional astronomy educators from around the world. They
have an excellent OFFICIAL STATEMENT ON STAR NAMING at:
http://sunsite.unc.edu/ips/Starnaming.html
Royan Greenwich Observatory
The Royal
Greenwich Observatory leaflet, "The
Naming of Stars" is at:
http://www.rog.nmm.ac.uk/leaflets/name/name.html
A Star Naming Company is issued a
Violation
In May of 1998, a star-naming company was issued a violation by the city of
New York for Deceptive Trade Practices. Read about it at the NYC Consumer
Affairs Office Web Site!
http://www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/dca/html/pressstars.html
Star Namers Turn on One Another
In October of 1999, a star-naming company filed suit in Illinois Federal Court
against another star-naming company. Read about it at the
Boston Globe
web site. It's worth a read (especially if you enjoy irony).
http://www.ras.ucalgary.ca/~gibson/starnames/globe.html
A Personal Story
Jim Craig, one of the authors of this FAQ, has a personal story about his
experience with someone who "named" a star, thinking it was legitimate. A
classic example of one of the problems caused by this practice.
http://home.carolina.rr.com/nirgal/buyastar.html
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(12) About this FAQ
The information in this FAQ was
written by Bill McClain (wmcclain@salamander.com),
Jim Craig (jcc@efn.org),
and Bob Martino (martino.6@osu.edu).
It was updated and edited for the year 2000 (not yet the new millennium) by
Bob Martino. Jim Craig is the current official keeper of the FAQ.
The information in this FAQ is
presented so that the public will have the knowledge needed to make an
informed choice. We have tried to present the facts clearly. Where we have
presented our opinions about the facts, it should be clear that this is what
we are doing. We've also tried to present a balanced view. The opinions
expressed here are not necessarily those of our employers. We claim full
protection under the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States
as we speak out about this practice. Read it at:
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/const/bor.html
This FAQ is NOT copyrighted! It is public
domain. Please distribute far and wide. All I ask is that if you use it on
your web site, you link to the official site named above. If you distribute it
in print form, please retain the authorship information as well.
(Updated October 2000)
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KEYWORDS: Star Buying, Star Naming,
star-buying, star-naming, ISR, International star registry, starregistry.com,
celestial registry, celestial-registry.com, name a star, name-a-star,
nameastar.net, buy a star, buy-a-star, USL, The Star Directory, star names,
starnames, memorial stars, starregistry.co.uk, kreative.net, seascape,
universal star listing, stars for sale, star wishing, starwishing, star deed,
stardeed
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