Name a Star Free | Universe Today

Written by Fraser Cain

You've heard about the companies that let you pay money to name a star. But you're probably looking for an organization that will let you name a star free. And there are some groups out there that do permit this; however, you might have the same question whether you're using a paid agency or a free agency. If you name a star, is it an official name recognized by astronomers? The answer, unfortunately, is no.

The names of astronomical objects of governed by the International Astronomical Union. This is a group of astronomers from around the world that meets every couple of years to vote and decide on issues that affect the astronomy community. For example, they might decide on how to allocate research funding, or the naming of newly discovered objects.

If any group would be responsible for naming stars, it would be the International Astronomical Union. And this organization has explained many times that they don't recognize any names recorded by any of these outside agencies. And if astronomers won't refer to these star names officially, what's the point.

In fact, astronomers don't even name stars any more. Even though there have been millions of stars discovered, they're only given number designations in large star catalogs. The only star names we have are those that were named in ancient times by astronomers thousands of years ago.

Now, there are groups that will let you name a star for free, and even print off a nice certificate, but the problem is that these star names aren't official. You're just recording your name in a database somewhere. But at least you're not paying money for the privilege.

If you'd like to read the International Astronomical Union's official stance on star naming companies, check out this link.

We have also written many articles about stars here for Universe Today. Here's an article about what stars are made of. And here's an article about variable stars.

We have also recorded several episodes of Astronomy Cast about stars. Check out episode 109: The Life of Other Stars.

Filed under: Astronomy

Tags: buy a star, name a star, stars