How to Buy a Memorial Star, Step by Step: From Their Moment to the PDF
The whole path, without gaps: enter their date, time and place; preview the real HYG star for free; name it and pay $19.99; download the PDF; then come back anytime to see where the star is now — or check it yourself in Stellarium.
Last reviewed: 2026-11-09
You do not pick a star from a catalogue. You enter the moment and place of passing; the site computes the zenith and the nearest real HYG star, shows it free, and only after you name it and pay $19.99 does it generate the star page and PDF certificate. The certificate carries the catalog ID and J2000 coordinates. Later, your star page’s Sky Tracker shows the star’s current altitude and direction from your location; the same coordinates work in Stellarium or any sky app.
The full path at a glance
- 1 · Input
- The date, time and place of passing; if the time is unknown, the date alone is allowed
- 2 · Preview
- See the real HYG star nearest the zenith, free, before paying
- 3 · Name
- Choose the name and one line of dedication; one tier, $19.99
- 4 · Pay & download
- The star page, 3D sky and A4-landscape PDF are generated immediately
- 5 · Return to now
- Open Sky Tracker, choose Now and Use my location, and see its current altitude and direction
- 6 · Verify outside
- Enter the certificate’s RA/Dec in Stellarium or any sky app
Before you start: three things
- The name for the certificate
- Use the name you actually called them — a nickname is fine; no legal name is required.
- Date, time and place
- The more exact the time, the closer the star sits to that moment. If you only know the date, the site uses local sunset and says so on the certificate.
- A one-time payment method
- One tier, $19.99, no subscription; checkout is handled by Waffo Pancake as Merchant of Record.
One thing to get straight first: there is no “official naming right” here. The IAU is the only body that officially names celestial objects and recognizes no commercial naming. What you buy is a real, checkable star plus a memorial delivery; the name is commemorative, and that line is printed on the certificate.
Step 1 — Enter the moment and the place
Both inputs matter: at the same clock time, different longitudes put a different part of the sky overhead; at the same place, each hour shifts the zenith about 15°. Enter what you actually know, and do not change the date to make it “nicer.”
If you only know the date, choose the local sunset option; the site computes the true sunset for that day and place and records that choice on the certificate. If you find the exact time later, recompute: the same day and place with a different time can produce a different star, closer to the moment.
Step 2 — Preview the real star before paying
The preview is free. You see the star’s catalog ID, J2000 coordinates, distance and its place in the 3D sky before deciding. It does not reserve the star and does not ask for payment.
This is what “choosing the star” means here: not picking a good-looking one from a list, but seeing the star computed from that moment and deciding whether it is the one you want to keep. If it does not feel right, adjust the time or place and recompute before paying.
Step 3 — Name it and write one line
The name goes on the certificate and star page; use the name you actually used for them. The dedication is one line and is optional — “we will always miss you” works, and so does a private joke only the two of you understood. The certificate prints only what you enter.
Step 4 — Pay and download the PDF
Once payment clears, the star page, the 3D sky of that moment and the certificate PDF are generated immediately. Nothing ships, and there is no package to wait for. The certificate is an A4-landscape PDF for you to print and frame.
The certificate carries the catalog ID (HIP/Gaia), J2000 right ascension and declination, distance, spectral type, certificate number and a QR code. You can re-download it anytime from My Memorial Stars; it has no expiry, and J2000 coordinates barely shift over centuries.
Step 5 — Come back anytime to see where the star is now
Open My Memorial Stars, go to this star’s detail page and open Sky Tracker — or scan the QR code on the certificate to the star page and open it from there. Choose the Now preset, then Use my location; if you would rather not share location, enter a city, date and time manually.
The tracker draws the current 3D sky near the horizon and shows the star’s altitude and azimuth right now, plus upcoming visible windows. The star’s J2000 coordinates have not changed; Earth’s rotation and your location have. That is why the same night looks different from another city.
If the star is below the horizon right now, the tracker says so instead of leaving you guessing at the sky. Weather, light pollution and magnitude affect whether you can see it: some stars are naked-eye, some need binoculars or a long exposure, and the certificate and star page state which kind this one is.
Step 6 — Check the same star in Stellarium or another app
The RA/Dec on the certificate are J2000 coordinates. Open Stellarium (desktop or stellarium-web.org), type a format like “05h55m10.3s +07d24m25s” into the search box and press Enter; the view centres on the star. On mobile, Stellarium Mobile, SkySafari and similar apps usually accept coordinates or catalog IDs.
Make sure the epoch is set to J2000. If the coordinates match, you are not taking our word for it; you are checking it against astronomy itself. The tracker answers “where is it from where I am now”; Stellarium answers “does this star exist at these coordinates” — two questions, two tools.
What you get — and what you do not
- You get
- A dedicated star page, the 3D sky and Sky Tracker, a memorial space private by default, and a PDF certificate you can re-download anytime.
- You do not get
- An official naming right, ownership of the star, a physical package, or a promise that it will be naked-eye visible. The IAU recognizes no commercial naming; some stars need binoculars or a telescope.
If you are buying for someone else
Ask for the name, date, time and place; do not invent a “nicer” date on their behalf. After payment, send them the star page link or the PDF; digital delivery needs no shipping and gives them nothing extra to look after. The memorial space is private by default, and sharing it is their choice.
FAQ
How long does the whole thing take?
With the date, time and place ready, the preview is immediate; after payment the star page and PDF are generated at once, with no shipping. The only real delay is usually finding the exact time of passing.
Can I buy it if I do not know the exact time?
Yes. Enter the date alone; the site uses the local sunset of that day and place and states the approximation on the certificate. If you find the time later, recompute: the same day and place with a different time can yield a different star, closer to that moment.
Can I download the PDF again?
Yes. Re-download it anytime from My Memorial Stars after payment; the certificate has no expiry and does not stop working when you change devices.
Can I see the star tonight?
It depends on magnitude, season, location and weather. Open Sky Tracker from the star page, choose Now + Use my location, and it gives the current altitude/azimuth and visible windows; if the star is below the horizon, it says so. Fainter stars need binoculars or a long exposure.
Is the naming official?
No. The IAU is the only body that officially names celestial objects and recognizes no commercial naming. What is real is the star and its coordinates; the name is commemorative, and the certificate says so plainly.
Can I pick a specific star from a list?
No — that is not how this works. The star is computed from the moment and place of passing, not picked from a catalogue; the same inputs always produce the same star. The free preview lets you see that computed star before deciding whether to keep it.
Can I find it in Stellarium?
Yes. Enter the certificate’s RA/Dec (J2000) in the search box in a format like “05h55m10.3s +07d24m25s”, or try the catalog ID; make sure the epoch is J2000. If the coordinates match, the star really is there.
Can I buy this for a pet?
Yes, the flow is the same: the pet’s name and the date, time and place they passed fix the real star nearest the zenith at that moment. Pet certificates carry a separate rainbow-bridge arch design; start at /memorial-for-pets.