Memorial Stars vs. Traditional "Naming a Star" Services
One sells the entitlement to pick a name; the other sells a real star decided by the sky of a specific moment.
Traditional naming services let you pick a spot and claim the name is “registered.” A memorial star is the opposite: the star is computed from the moment and place of passing — no picking — and the name is honestly described as a memorial (the IAU recognizes no commercial naming, and we never hide it). The difference is not price; it is where the star comes from and what the name means.
The difference in one table
- How the star is chosen
- Memorial: computed from time and place (nearest unnamed star to the zenith); traditional: picked from a catalog
- Naming claim
- Memorial: honestly framed as commemorative; traditional: often framed as “officially registered”
- IAU recognition
- Neither has it — the IAU recognizes no commercial naming; the difference is who says so plainly
- Coordinates & traceability
- Memorial: real catalog coordinates you can verify in any planetarium app; traditional: often decorative coordinates
Why we will not let you pick
Being able to pick means any star would do — and that is the opposite of what a memorial means. The point is the one that genuinely stood over that moment and place. Letting the math choose binds the star to the person, not to your preference. Deterministic output also means the memorial can be recomputed, re-checked and shared at any time: no two people ever get the same “coincidence.”
A name is a memorial, not a registration
People often ask: is the name “official”? The honest answer: no. Stars are named by astronomical bodies like the IAU; commercial services — including ours — hold no official naming authority. So our certificate says “commemorative naming” and the site says “a real star, a symbolic name.” We do not think that diminishes it. On the contrary: said plainly, the gift stands on solid ground.