Galaxy OriginsQuestions
Straight answers about stars, skies and gifts.
Can you name a star, what was overhead the day you were born, what each anniversary means: short answers first, then the detail.
Naming stars and galaxies
- Is naming a star legit?Naming a star through a star registry is a legal novelty gift, but the name is not real in any astronomical sense. The names astronomers use for stars
- Can you name a star after someone?Not officially. No company or person can make a star carry someone's name for astronomers: official names are approved by the International Astronomic
- Is the International Star Registry real?The International Star Registry is a real company that has sold star names since 1979, but the names it sells are not recognized by astronomers, NASA
- Can you buy a star?No. Nobody can buy or own a star, a planet or any other object in space. The Outer Space Treaty of 1967 rules out national claims to celestial bodies,
The sky on a date
- What did the sky look like on a specific date?You can see the sky for any date, time and place with free planetarium software such as Stellarium, which calculates the positions of the stars, plane
- Which galaxy was overhead when I was born?It depends on the exact time and place of your birth. At every moment there is one point directly overhead, the zenith, and a catalogued galaxy lies n
Anniversary gifts
- What anniversary is wood?Wood is the traditional gift for the 5th wedding anniversary. It stands for a marriage that has put down roots. On the modern list the 5th anniversary
- What anniversary is diamond?The diamond anniversary is the 60th wedding anniversary. Some older lists also give diamond to the 75th. On the modern list, diamond jewelry is the gi
- What anniversary is paper?Paper is the traditional gift for the 1st wedding anniversary. It stands for a blank page at the start of a shared story. The modern 1st anniversary g