Space Name Registry

Buy a star

You can’t
buy stars

or pulsars or AGN

You can’t officially buy stars. Any website claiming to sell stars or sell star names is selling you a piece of paper and a line in their “private registry”.

You cannot pay to officially name a star, the sky is free for everyone.

Astronomers do not use the names that are purchased through websites claiming to name stars.

Symbolically name a star for free

You can symbolically name a star, for free, right here.

I have digital files with:

It’s a lovely idea to look up at a star and remember a loved one, a special date, a romantic partner, or a beloved pet.

If you’d still like to name a star (symbolically), you can do that here!

Download the star certificate here: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/tcd6blolaw93zep6uikoq/Presentation.pptx?rlkey=lq54wrk2uwr9p51vndne2k6qk&st=yhev7kjl&dl=0

To use the certificate

  • Download it as a PowerPoint file
  • Open the file in PowerPoint, Google Slides, or Key Note
  • Change the name to the name you would like
  • Change the coordinates to your selected star coordinates
  • Change the date to the date of your choice

How to select a star:

You can either send them to your giftee digitally, or print them out on some nice paper and frame them up yourself for a lovely, personal gift.

And instead of paying the big bucks, you’ve put your own effort in. We all know that it’s the thought (and the effort) that counts.

You even got to select the star yourself!

Example certificate

This is an example certificate that I made for my dog, Astro. His birthday is on the 15th of January.

How did I select stars and make the files?

I used stars from the Yale Bright Star Catalogue. These are the brightest stars in the night sky.

I selected stars that are bright enough (mag > 5) to see with the naked eye.

I used this python notebook to create the star fact sheets.

I used this python notebook to create the star charts.

Why can’t you buy stars?

The international body responsible for naming stars is the International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group on Star Names (WGSN).

According to the WGSN guidelines:

  • Names of all individuals are prohibited for bright stars, except for rare cases with demonstrated historical precedence and widespread international diffusion. Contrived names are discouraged, except for rare cases with demonstrated historical precedence and widespread international diffusion.
  • Names of events principally known for political or military activities are prohibited.
  • Names of a purely or principally commercial nature are prohibited.
  • Names of pet animals are prohibited.

You can read the full WGSN guidelines here.

Websites that claim to sell stars claim to:

  • Sell stars that are visible to the naked eye
  • That they have sold 100,000+ or even 500,000+ stars
  • Lead you to believe that each star is only named once

Being extremely generous with how excellent our vision is and how dark the night sky is, humans can see at most ~9000 stars in the entire night sky (over both hemispheres) with their naked eye. This means that each star these websites claim to sell has been sold at least 10 and possibly up to 50 times.

Some of these websites sell stars for $40AUD per star. They claim to have sold 500,000+ stars. That means they have sold $20 million worth of stars. Selling something you can’t sell.