International Star Registry

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The International Star Registry (ISR), founded in 1979, purports to enable people to name a star as a gift or memorial. Once the star is named, the ISR publishes its telescopic coordinates in a book called "Your Place in the Cosmos."

It is important to note, however, that the names in this book are neither recognized by the scientific community nor used by them. In fact these names are essentially without meaning, as they have no existence anywhere outside of the ISR's book—which, as the organization's advertising prominently states, is "registered at the U.S. Copyright Office"—just like any other book published in the United States. (Copyright protects the rights of a book's author, but does not imply that the U.S. government endorses or vouches for the book's contents.)

Many people in the astronomy community view organizations like the ISR as frauds preying on people who are ignorant of how stars are in fact named.

The International Astronomical Union (IAU), not the ISR, has the internationally recognized authority to name and designate newly discovered stars, planets, asteroids, comets, and other heavenly bodies. The IAU's nomenclature, not the ISR's, is the one used by professional and amateur astronomers all over the world. It is not for sale.

The IAU has called the ISR's star-naming business "a deplorable commercial trick." The ISR has also had a violation issued against it for deceptive advertising (see links below). The violation was later dropped.