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| Buying a Star Name |  Twinkling for Eternity
The idea of naming a star after a loved one is emotionally inspiring. There are various companies that sell these names say at face value and look no farther.
The fact is: all you really get is an expensive piece of paper.
There are at least six companies who sell star names and all of them make it sound so official.
At about fifty dollars a name, the universe is being populated with unofficial star names by one unsuspecting person after another.
Customers get fancy certificates and directions to find their newly named star.
The International Astronomical Union (IAU.) is only one entity that can officially name stars (or any other celestial objects). The IAU does not recognize any commercially sold star names.
In fact, the IAU has stated the following about selling star names: "The IAU dissociates itself entirely from the commercial practice of 'selling' fictitious star names." Astronomers accept the IAU as the official governing body, and star atlases and charts that both professional and amateur astronomer use are based on designations given by the IAU.
Generally saying, the IAU gives number designations to stars because of the sheer number of objects. Thus they do recognize a limited number of actual names, mostly ones which have survived since ancient times like Sirius, Polaris or Antares.
However most stars have numbers and are located by a coordinate system. But lest you come away thinking the IAU is an organization of stuffy people, they do, in very special circumstances name some asteroids. The IAU named seven asteroids after the Columbia astronauts killed last February, and all four of the Beatles have asteroids named after them and recently. The process to designate such names is an exhausting ordeal and it is in no way commercial.
It’s better for business that the companies which sell star names like to make their star catalogs sound official. Buried deep within some of their websites is a bit of truth when they refer to purchasing a star name as a "novelty item."
That may be one way of describing it, but "unique gift" certainly doesn't apply. So, one star may have many unofficial names, with at least six companies selling star names.
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