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A Star Is Not a Star by Any Other Name

by Howard L. Cohen

[An Adaptation from the January 1966 issue of FirstLight]
Star registries claim the ability to name a star for you. However, stars named in this way will have no legitimacy in the scientific community. Thus, they trade on deception and ignorance and make a large profit in the process.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared in FirstLight, June 1989. It was revised in January 1993 for private distribution. Since questions about star registries are as constant as the heavens, we publish it again for those who still have inquisitive minds. (Both costs quoted in this article and materials sent to registrants by the IRS are not necessarily current.)

People often call astronomy departments or planetariums about purchasing star names for friends or relatives. In fact, companies exist that claim the ability to name a star in the heavens according to your wishes. Advertising by this type of organization is often especially heavy before Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and other gift giving holidays.

One of these companies, The International Star Registry or the ISR, claims that it will name a star (the heavenly kind) according to your own wishes for only a small fee ($45.00 unframed, $85.00 framed)*. [Added note: Another company that sells star names is StarNamer.] Furthermore, The ISR states that they will permanently register this name in their own records—both in their own vault in Switzerland and in book form (the astronomical compendium, Your Place in the Cosmos), copyrighted in the United States of America. Finally, the ISR will authenticate your star name on a certificate sent back to you along with star charts to help you find this object in the sky.

However, potential buyers of star names should be aware that such schemes are fraudulent. Indeed, the U.S. government has cautioned the public about these schemes because of misrepresentation. Scientists have also warned that star names bought through a star registry are not valid in the scientific community. In addition, some stars sold to people may be nonexistent. Finally, this company may have also infringed upon copyright laws by delivering copyright materials to customers under its own name. (Several years ago, the Library of Congress rejected the ISR’s original application for a copyright of its own star directory.)

People who purchase star names through star naming companies are contributing to the deplorable actions of a money making scheme. In fact, star naming schemes have probably duped over 750,000 people out of millions of dollars over the last twenty years. Consider the following points carefully before putting your name (and money) on a star.

The star name you chose will have no legitimacy in the scientific community and will never be used in reference works. Only the International Astronomical Union (IAU) has the authority to name astronomical objects. And this international organization of professional astronomers never charges a fee for this. The IAU has adamantly voiced its opposition to the meaningless character of international star registers. The IAU has also asked members of the astronomical community to campaign against commercial organizations that attempt to trick people into buying star names.

Registration of a book in the Library of Congress or renting a vault in Switzerland, or any other place for that matter, is irrelevant to the legality or legitimacy of a compiled list of names. Copyright protection extends only to the author of the compiled document, not to the listed names. (You can copyright a telephone directory but you cannot copyright the names in the directory.) Indeed, the Library of Congress originally closed its files on the ISR application several years ago and stated that many organizations seek authenticity by falsely trading on a copyright with the Library of Congress.

Customers typically have no choice determining which stars a star naming company selects. Most stars chosen for registration are usually very faint and require a telescope to see. In fact, most people would not have the observing experience and skills needed to find "their star" even with a telescope!

In some cases a star naming company may have registered objects which do not even exist. I read one report of a "registered star" in which the recipient claimed his star was an "ink spot" on the star registry's sky map!

In fact, some older ISR star maps originally mailed to customers were copies from pages of old and well-known star atlases such as Becvar’s Atlas of the Heavens (published by Sky Publishing Corporation). However, these star charts displayed only the ISR logo and address— possibly an infringement of copyright laws.

In 1982 Time Magazine ran a full page article on the ISR, a scheme that the IAU calls a "deplorable commercial trick." In this article the ISR claims that naming stars is nothing but fun. Others state, "After all, nobody owns the stars, do they?" However, star naming companies usually sell stars through deception and trickery.

People who really want to name a star can do as well by making up their own registration certificate. In fact this task is relatively easy to accomplish by anyone who owns a personal computer. Not only can one choose their very own heavenly body in this way, but they will also save the registration fee! And their star name will be as valid as one with an ISR or any other star registry's stamp.

The ISR also originally included a brief pamphlet titled Our Place in the Cosmos prepared for the IRS, it says, by Dr. T. Harry Leith, Professor of Natural Science, York University, Toronto. The article, as the title implies, is a philosophical discourse about our attempts to understand the universe in which we live. Including material and tips about observing the sky would have been better.

Do not contribute to ignorance and misunderstanding by giving money to star registration companies. Instead, support the advancement of human knowledge by giving to your local astronomy club, planetarium or astronomy department. Then go out and buy a good book on astronomy. Is this not a much better way to find immortality in the stars?

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*Note:ISR prices (as of January 1999) were listed as $45.00 unframed, $91.00 framed.

« For more information about "buying star names," see Buying a Star FAQ »

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