On Tue, May 13, 2014 05:38, Chuck Hards wrote:
This topic seems to pop up here every few years. I've had a personal experience with it that was rather sad. My ex-wife's nephew was killed in an auto-pedestrian accident many years ago, and some of his relatives "named" a star after him with the original company that offered this service. His parents asked me to show them the star in a telescope, which I did, gladly, but were somewhat saddened to learn that it wasn't an official designation. That's the problem with these companies, they mislead the public into thinking that the names they purchase are used by astronomers worldwide and are "official".
For the company in question, the details are right in their FAQ: "Can I really name a star after a person? Can I buy a star? Will my star name be officially recognized? Clearly, you cannot buy a star. The stars belong to all of us or none of us, whichever you prefer, and they are not for sale. Naming a star is a symbolic gift idea which obviously does not involve any legal title/ownership. Our register is not used by the scientific community although it is a perfectly valid register. Scientists refer to stars only by their astronomical coordinates, catalog number, or in a few cases by commonly-used names, such as "Polaris," the North Star. In referring to and listing stars by name the name you choose we have created a symbolic and personal rather than astronomically significant listing." http://nameastarlive.com/faq.asp#namingofficial Though it would be just as simple (and far cheaper) to create your own family "register" and start calling Vega "Aunt Doris" at your family star parties. I call dibs on Polaris. ;-) -Ryan