Can You Buy a Star? An Easy Explanation

Can you buy a star in the sky?

Yes, you can buy a star.

However, it is correct to say that you can buy a “Star Name” or a “Star Name Registration” alongside a gift package, not a star itself.

We should differentiate and be careful when we speak about such terms as “Buying a Star”, “Naming a Star”, or even “Owning a Star”. All of these can mean slightly different things.

Ideas note Buying and naming a star is an excellent gift idea. Still, it is helpful for anyone doing this to understand the main concepts in order not to be misled.

Can You Own a Star?

One of the most misunderstood concepts about naming a star is the star's ownership. In classical meaning, some might assume that they would have ownership of the star, just like owning a mobile phone, a car or an apartment. Such ownership could be a paper or a bill.

Unfortunately, you cannot own a star. The reasons are straightforward:

1 You cannot own something that does not belong to planet Earth. At least so far.

2 Stars are pieces of boiling gas and dust. You cannot own this sort of thing.

3 No national or international legislation presumes such ownership.

Ideas note However, this does not mean that you cannot buy and own a Star Name and a Star Registration Number.

Is Star Registration Legit?

It is legal to offer customers to name a star. However, people quite often question the legitimacy of Star Naming websites and their right to sell stars. The main argument usually goes like this:

"Stars do not belong to anyone, so how can someone sell them?"

It is easy to answer this with a couple of arguments:

1 Star naming websites are not selling impossible ownership of a star but a star name.

2 These websites charge you not only for a star name but mainly for a gift package you receive alongside your registration.

3 No national or international laws prohibit offering people to name a star.

4 If this were illegal, these websites would be shut down by authorities. Instead, they are provided with opportunities to offer you to make a payment.

Ideas note As you can see, there is nothing wrong or illegal about offering you to name a star. Probably, you should just keep in mind that you do not own it.

Is Naming a Star Real?

This is another question often asked by online users. It is not always clear what exactly people mean by this question, but let us assume three things and give answers to these questions.

Is it a real star that gets named? Yes! When naming a star, you are usually provided with a specific and real star. It will have specific coordinates used by scientific entities like NASA and IAU.

Will the star name be registered somewhere? Yes, the star name you purchase will be recorded in the online Star Name Catalog for the lifetime. You will also receive your registration number.

Will scientific bodies recognize it? No. Unfortunately, this has nothing to do with scientific bodies. They will not recognize this because they have a different purpose. Find more information in articles about Naming a star with NASA or IAU.

Ideas note We can conclude that naming a star is real because Star Naming Services will name a real star with existing astronomical coordinates. However, you should remember scientific organizations do not recognize this because they have entirely different functions.

Find out more

How much does it cost to buy a star? A SHOPPER’S GUIDE

Buy a Star from NASA: Can you do that?

Buy and Name a Star with IAU: Is that possible?

Where to Buy a Star? AN HONEST OVERVIEW

Name a Star for Free: IS IT WORTH IT?

How to Buy a Star: A 6-Step Tutorial

Adopt a Star AS A GIFT AND NAME IT!

Name a Star Gift

Conclusions

You can buy a star and give it a name.
You cannot own a star as a property.
Star Naming service is legitimate. No laws prohibit that.
When naming a star, you get a real star with scientific coordinates.
The purchased star is recorded in the Star Name catalog with a registration number.
Star naming for money has no relation with scientific entities.

Frequently asked questions

Yes, you can buy a star and name it. However, you should understand that you are buying a star name, not ownership of that particular star.

You cannot own a star because stars are made of boiling gas and dust a million miles away from Earth. There are no laws in the world that could confirm such ownership. Still, you can give the star a name.

Yes, Star Registration or Star Naming is legitimate because no national or international laws prohibit such activity or transaction. Private services with online Star Databases are fully entitled to provide you with a star naming service for money.

Naming a star is real because you are naming a real star in the sky with specific coordinates that are also used by scientific bodies. However, this will not be recognised by scientific bodies because they do not have a mission to recognize or deny this.

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