Is naming a star real?
The star can be real. The name is not official, from us or from anyone else who sells star names. Here is what that means, and what is worth paying for.
Who names stars officially
The only body whose star names astronomers use is the International Astronomical Union (IAU). It names a few hundred bright stars, mostly with old traditional names, and it does not sell names. Every other star is known by a catalogue number. Any company that says your name will be used by scientists or recorded in an official registry is not telling you the truth.
So what are you buying?
A symbolic name, kept by the company you name it with. That can still mean a great deal. People name benches, trees and boats without any authority recognising the name, and the meaning comes from who it is for. The honest question is what you get alongside the name, and whether it will last.
What to check before you buy
- Can you find it? Many packages pick a star for you that is too faint to ever see. Ask whether you choose it yourself and whether they show you where it is.
- Do they say plainly that it is symbolic? If not, be careful.
- What happens if they close? A name in someone's database disappears with it. Ask whether you can download what you put in.
- Is the price once or every year? Some charge again to keep the name.
How Somewhere Up does it
You choose your star yourself, from a 3D model of the stars around the Sun built from a public catalogue, with real stars from a public catalogue around the Sun. It tells you how far away your star is, whether you can see it with the naked eye, and where to look. Each star can be named only once here. You can fill it with photos, voice notes and letters, and share it with the people you love. It costs $24, once, and you can download a copy of everything you put in at any time.
A star named on Somewhere Up is a symbolic name inside Somewhere Up. It is not recognised by the IAU, any observatory or government, and will not appear in star catalogues. Our Terms say the same.
Name a starFree to start. $24 to keep, once.