How to Read Your Certificate & Find Your Star in Any App
The two most important lines on your certificate are the coordinates and the catalog ID — the star’s address in the universe.
The RA and Dec (J2000) printed on your certificate are standard astronomical coordinates: type them into the search bar of Stellarium or any planetarium app and it will point to your star. Catalog IDs (HIP or Gaia) usually work as search terms too. Combined with the live compass on your 3D star page, you can know exactly where to look tonight.
What each line on the certificate means
- Memorial name & dedication
- The name you chose and one line for them — commemorative by design
- Constellation, date & place
- The real constellation the star lives in, plus the moment and place used
- Catalog ID
- HYG/HIP or Gaia ID: the internationally recognised identity of the star, traceable independently
- RA / Dec (J2000)
- Right ascension and declination — the coordinates that locate it in any sky app
- Distance & magnitude
- Distance in light-years and a brightness reference
- QR code
- Scans straight to the star’s 3D page
Find it in Stellarium (desktop & web)
Open stellarium-web.org or the desktop app: (1) open the search box (F3 usually); (2) type the coordinates like “05h55m10.3s +07d24m25s” (RA 05:55:10, Dec +07:24:25); (3) press Enter — the view centres on your star. In the web settings you can switch RA/Dec display format and epoch; make sure it reads J2000.
Finding it on your phone
- Stellarium Mobile
- Free tier works; search accepts coordinate entry
- SkySafari / Star Walk 2
- Most versions search by coordinates or catalog IDs
- Our 3D star page
- No app needed: the star page itself returns you to that night’s sky, with a live direction guide
“Found it — now what?”
Many people pause the first time they “see” their star: it may be faint, hard for the naked eye — that is fine. Binoculars, a small telescope or a long-exposure photo will show it. Knowing it is there is part of the memorial. It is never clouded out; the coordinates never expire.