Can You Really Name A Star For Free?

Astronomical names are determined by the International Astronomical Union. All stars are given a number and only a few stars have historical names. FreeNameAStar.co.uk and all other star naming services cannot officially name a star. All we can do is collect the assigned names and record them. You can read an article about this Here

Remember that there is no official agency, government or institution that will name a star. All star naming companies do the same thing. They just record the name you give them in their own database. Some of them submit a book of star names to the US Copyright office, but that does not mean that the name is official or recognized as the real or only name of a star by any legitimate official organization. Don't be fooled.

Our free stars are just as valid as the ones that people pay hundreds of dollars for. There has been no star given an official name in recent history. There is no official star naming service or authority that sells star names. Only the International Astronomical Union officially names celestial objects and except for some older recognized stars, stars are no longer named, but numbered. Here is what the IAU says:

"Any company can name any star whatever you want but it will mean nothing except to you and that company. Naming stars is another money making scheme to feed on the emotions of decent people. Therefore, if your family would like to name a star in the memory of a lost one, there is regretfully nothing "official" you can do."

Please don't spend money on expensive star naming packages. The small amount of money that I make on extras supports the web site by paying the hosting fees as well as providing an occasional beer for me. FreeNameAStar.co.uk is interesting, fun, and even educational, but it is not official.