www.starregistry.com

-----Original Message----- From: Kim Hyatt [mailto:khyatt@smithlayton.com] Sent: Wednesday, February 11, 2004 2:35 PM To: 'Utah Astronomy' Subject: RE: [Utah-astronomy] Fifty-four bucks!

What's their website?

-----Original Message----- From: Dale Hooper [mailto:Dale.Hooper@sdl.usu.edu] Sent: Wednesday, February 11, 2004 2:34 PM To: utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Fifty-four bucks!

With Valentine's day nearby the "International Star Registry" scammers are out in full-force on the radio again. A co-worker bought one of their "name a star" scams a few years ago and was so happy with his photocopied page from an old Skalnate-Pleso atlas that had an arrow pointing to a 10th mag star - labelled with his wife's name, the Epoch 1950 coordinates for the star, and the $5 booklet on astronomy that came with it. I didn't have the heart to tell him that he had been ripped off.

I've emailed these people before and told them what I thought of their operation - their reply is that they are sorry you feel that way. Part of me says that people have a "right to be stupid" so I shouldn't worry about it. But, now these scammers are asking for $54! - which in my book is real money. So, part of me thinks that someone should at least step in and make them add a disclaimer that they have no real right to name anything. I also think they give a bad name to astronomy, in general.

Well - I feel a bit better now having at least vented this a bit.

Clear skies, Dale.

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