Naming Stars
An Easytorecall Article
See also our article Naming Stars
Name a star 
• www.starnames.com
Headers: Name a Star
Name a star offer various "name a star" packs from £39.00, which includes a star certificate plus other goodies which depend on the package you choose.
Global Star Registry
• www.globalstarregistry.org
Headers: star kit, star kit orion, digital certificate
Name a star. The Star Kit from Global Star Registry is complete with a certificate, a sky map and "The Stars" by Patrick Moore. Prices are in dollars. See also our Eastorecall article "Naming Stars".
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 Stars" for more information: www.iau.org/IAU/FAQ/starnames.html
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 might like to try one of Global Star Registry's Star Kits, or you could try Universal Star Listing.
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 around £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. (see our telescopes page). An astronomy software package, such as Redshift, (you can get this from Amazon), might be the answer, or have a look at our free software page for some free astronomy software.
And don't forget, there's always books!
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