posted 12-19-2003 03:13 PM                       

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He also has some advice for those who are thinking of paying to have a star named for someone. Not a good move, unless you don't mind giving somebody money for a piece of paper you could print out yourself. The star names you pay for are not considered official by professional astronomers. Plait's brothers paid International Star Registry (ISR) to name a star located in the constellation Andromeda "Philip Cary Plait." Unfortunately, all astronomers call this star BD+48° 683.

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posted 12-20-2003 11:28 AM                       

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An Explanation of the International Star Registry

Name a star yourself for free

What is the International Star Registry?

The International Star Registry is a private for profit company that for a fee will name a star what ever you choose to name it.

Is this official?

No. The only body with recognized authority to name astronomical objects is the International Astronomical Union (IAU for short). The IAU has a naming committee in charge of setting designations for astronomical objects.

But they said the name would be copyrighted....

And the name will be copyrighted. What this company does is they publish a book with all the star names and copyright the book.

Get your money's worth

As far as I know, the International Star Registry does not provide any false information about what they are doing. However as a private citizen with some imagination you could name a star in the same way and achieve the same results without any expense. (See below to learn how to do this)

I know of a few not-for-profit organizations that help promote the International Star Registry and in exchange share the profits from any sales that they might bring to the ISR. So you could support a cause you believe in by making a purchase from the ISR .
Finding your star

Locating the star you have purchased can in some instances be difficult. The Right Ascension and Declination coordinates (like longitude and latitude on the sky) are quoted to a level of accuracy that may make it difficult to locate your star using the coordinates alone. The coordinates will get you in the right part of the sky but if there are a lot of other stars near by (a crowded field) you will need to use the sky chart they provide to tell which star of many it is.

This makes it difficult to take a picture of your star with a robotic telescope like the CWRU Nassau Station Robotic Telescope because it requires human interaction to do the final aiming of the telscope and get the correct star centered in the picture.

What is your angle?

This page is here because as an astronomer who does public outreach, I get a lot of questions about the ISR. When we brought the CWRU Nassau Station Robotic Telescope online we got a lot of requests from people to take a picture of the star they had purchased from the ISR. It isn't possible under most circumstances to take a picture of your star with the NSRT for the reason I cited above. I don't like making people feel bad about their purchase but I want to give people an honest answer about the ISR. I appologize to anyone who may be hurt to find out something that they didn't suspect.

If there is another company you have encountered that is selling stars in a similar fashion e-mail me. I'd like to keep up to date on what is out there.

How can I name a star for free?

There is no way to get a star or other astronomical object named after someone unless you happen to discover a new asteroid, in which case you can name it (but that's a real long shot for a amateur in the backyard). Assuming that the importance of naming a star is the shared sentiment between the giver and the receiver and not the officallity of the name, there is a simple way you can name a star for free.

Just go outside on a clear night, pick a constellation you are familiar with, and pick a bright star in the constellation. Now name that star what ever you want and share that with a friend. To you and yours that star will have that name.

Voila! You didn't spend a dime. You can see the star without the aid of a telescope which makes it much better for sharing with a loved one. And you get to pick out the star.

Other gift ideas

For about the same amount of money that the ISR charges to name a star, you can buy a loved one who is interested in Astronomy:

* Membership in the International Dark-Sky Association
* Membership for a local Astronomy Club
* A subscription to a popular astronomy magazine
* Star Atlas
* Astronomy computer programs
* Eyepieces for a telescope
* A pair of binoculars

Good Luck and Clear Skies.

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Subject: NEW YORK CITY DEPT. ISSUES VIOLATION TO STAR-NAMING COMPANY

THE FOLLOWING RELEASE WAS RECEIVED TODAY FROM THE NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, IN NEW YORK, NY, AND IS FORWARDED FOR YOUR INFORMATION. (NOTE THAT THE REFERENCE TO "THIS WEEKEND" REFERS TO THE WEEKEND OF MAY 9-10 AS THE ORIGINAL HARD COPY RELEASE WAS ISSUED ON MAY 8; MAY 10 WAS THE U.S.A. & CANADA "MOTHER'S DAY" HOLIDAY.) Steve Maran, American Astronomical Society

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 8, 1998
Contact: Tom Sclafani, 212-487-4239 & 917-672-4604

Consumer Affairs Commissioner Polonetsky Warns Consumers: "Buying A Star Won't Make You One"

Commissioner Jules Polonetsky Warns Mother's Day Gift-Givers About Turning Their Mothers Into Stars; Star-Naming Company Issued a Violation for Deceptive Advertising

For those sons and daughters looking to make their mothers "stars" this weekend, Consumer Affairs Commissioner Jules Polonetsky today said that paying to name stars after loved ones is simply throwing money into a black hole. The Commissioner said that companies that offer to "officially" name a star fail to tell consumers that they don't have the authority to do it. The International Astronomical Union is the only recognized star-naming organization, and it does not sell names.

As a result of a Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) investigation, the agency has issued a violation against an Illinois star-naming company for engaging in a deceptive trade practice. The International Star Registry (ISR) faces maximum fines of $3,500 or more.

"Consumers whose gifts have them reaching for the stars must remember to keep their feet on the ground," said Commissioner Polonetsky. "Star-naming companies fool consumers into thinking that they can `become' a star by attaching their name to one, but in reality, the star names are nothing more than a listing in the company's own book."

"There are certain commercial and some nonprofit organizations that may offer a service to "register" a star in someone's name, generally for a fee, but these are neither sanctioned by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) nor used by professional astronomers," said Professor Helene Dickel, Chairperson of the IAU Task Group on Designations.

ISR charges $50-$100 for "new" star names which are listed in their own book entitled "Your Place in the Cosmos." Consumers who buy star names also receive a certificate declaring the "official" name of the star. "Wishing upon their `own' star can't change the fact that consumers are getting nothing more than a piece of paper in a frame," said Commissioner Polonetsky. "Other than a sidewalk in Hollywood, consumers who want their own star are better off saving their money by walking into Central Park, pointing to the sky and naming it themselves."

A DCA investigation found that while the company's advertisement implies that its star-naming registry is "official," their salespeople admitted that "NASA and astronomers are always going to continue to use a series of telescopic coordinate numbers" when questioned by DCA undercover inspectors.

Chapter 5 of Title 20 of the New York City Administrative Code prohibits false or misleading representations of a product's approval, status, or affiliation.

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