Galaxy OriginsUpdated October 25, 2026.
What you actually buy
A star-naming company picks a star, usually a faint one with only a catalogue number, and records the name you choose in its own database. You receive a certificate, a chart showing where the star is, and sometimes a booklet. Some companies say the names are "registered with the US Copyright Office": what is registered is the company's book, which gives the name no standing with astronomers.
Different companies can, and do, sell the same star to different customers, because each keeps its own list.
Is it a scam?
Not legally, as long as the seller does not claim the name is official. The problem is expectation. Many buyers believe the star now carries the name for everyone, and it does not. If the person receiving it knows that, it can still be a sweet gesture. If they will look the star up and find a catalogue number, it can feel like a trick.
Who really names stars
The IAU's Working Group on Star Names approves proper names for a few hundred bright or notable stars, mostly traditional names from many cultures. Everything else is known by catalogue designations such as HD 12345. The only time the public has named stars is through the IAU's own free NameExoWorlds contests, where the public proposed names for selected stars that host planets.
If you want something real
The feeling behind the gift is "something up there is ours". You can give that honestly: the real sky on the date that matters, a telescope photograph of a real object, or a night under the stars. Galaxy Origins makes one version of this: the real galaxy that was overhead at your moment, from its telescope photograph, framed with your words. It keeps its real catalogue name; nothing is renamed.