Not officially. The International Astronomical Union (IAU), the scientific body that approves names for stars, planets and features on them, does not sell names. It says it "dissociates itself entirely from the commercial practice of 'selling' fictitious star names," and that such names have no official validity.
A star-naming certificate is a keepsake: the name is recorded in the seller's own book or database, and nowhere else.
How stars get official names
Most stars have no proper name at all, just catalog designations. Bright stars carry a Greek letter and their constellation, like Alpha Centauri, and fainter ones go by catalog numbers, such as entries in the Henry Draper catalog. A few hundred stars have proper names, like Sirius or Proxima Centauri, and since 2016 the IAU's Working Group on Star Names has kept the official list, drawing mostly on names used for centuries in cultures around the world.
The same body names places on other worlds: craters, mountains and plains on the Moon and Mars. Lunar craters are generally named after deceased scientists, scholars and explorers. Large Martian craters honor deceased scientists and writers connected with the study of Mars, and smaller ones take the names of small towns and villages on Earth. Those names can't be bought either.
There is one way the public can take part. The IAU's NameExoWorlds campaigns have invited people to propose names for some planets around other stars and for their host stars, and the IAU approved the winners. Those names are official, and the campaigns are free.
What the certificates are
Star registries sell a certificate that pairs a name with a real star's coordinates, usually with a sky chart. The star exists; the name exists only in the company's records. Different companies keep different records, and astronomers use none of them. The IAU also says that any company claiming IAU approval for a purchased name is making false claims.
That doesn't make a certificate a bad present. Plenty of people love the gesture, the same way they love a moon land certificate. It only goes wrong when someone believes the name is official.
Can they see the star?
Look for the magnitude on the certificate. Under a dark country sky, the naked eye reaches about magnitude 6, and every step fainter needs more help: binoculars reach about 9, a small telescope a few steps beyond that. From a city, the limit is far brighter, often around magnitude 3 or 4. A star most people can't see makes a nicer gift paired with binoculars or a telescope.
If you still want a star certificate
It can be a lovely gesture, especially for a memorial or a newborn. A few checks before you pay:
- Skip any seller that claims IAU or NASA approval. The IAU says such claims are false.
- Look for the star's coordinates and magnitude, so the person can find it in a star atlas or an app.
- Check the format and delivery time: a printed pack ships, a PDF arrives at once.
- Read the wording and give it as what it is: a keepsake with a story, not an official name.
Star names, moon certificates and claims compared
| Gift | What you get | Recognized by an authority? | Public record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Star-naming certificate | A name paired with a real star in the seller's register, plus a chart | No; the IAU does not recognize purchased names | The seller's own register |
| Moon land certificate | A certificate and map for an acre or a plot | No; no country can grant land on the Moon | Varies by seller |
| Red Homestead claim | A surveyed parcel with coordinates, a 19-document claim file and a certificate | No; it is a documented claim, not title | Yes: the public registry roll, with names shown only by choice |
| IAU NameExoWorlds name | An official name for an exoplanet or its star, chosen by public vote | Yes, by the IAU | The IAU's published list |
We sell the third row, so weigh our view accordingly. What we can say plainly is that a Red Homestead claim is not recognized by any government either. What it adds is a specific surveyed parcel that only one person can claim, a dated public record and a paper trail modeled on real frontier land claims. How it works explains the process, and our gift guide covers how to give one.
Other gifts to consider
- A small telescope. Mars reaches opposition on 19 February 2027, at its brightest for the season.
- Their name on a spacecraft. NASA's free "Send Your Name" campaigns put names on chips aboard real missions; Perseverance carried 10.9 million names to Mars.
- A star map print of the sky over a place on a date that matters to them. It shows real stars, no naming claim needed.
- A claim on the Moon or Mars. $39 for a surveyed parcel, a claim file and a certificate to frame. Browse parcels.