How To Name A Star

In the old times people spent a lot more time looking at the sky and searching for the answer to their various problems and preoccupations among the stars. Magical stories, myths and legends about stars abound in every culture. Back then, people could name a star according to the symbolism or meaning they attached to it. Presently, official astrological institutions only name bigger stars, while the smaller ones are simply cataloged by numbers. Comets and asteroids are also given names, but everything tends to be well organized and structured so as to allow a quick and efficient identification on the sky map.

Little by little, a popular trend grew out to name a star after somebody dear to you; people want to show love or respect and assign names to already classified stars found in Astrophysical Observatory Catalogs. Companies that intermediate name a star services should be listed with a copywrite office to be recognized as institutions ; yet, keep in mind the fact that even if you name a star, the title is not official, but personal and highly sentimental. Even if generally used by non-astronomers, this type of service still requires the use of the official coordinates for a specific celestial body in order to pass a certificate.

The most common resources to how to name a star after someone include the Hubble Space Telescope catalog, the Messier catalog or the Smithsonian catalog. The star naming company needs to mention which reference they use so as to allow for a distinction both between the stars and between the other businesses in the same domain. When you name a star you do not create a scientific designation but rather a meaningful gesture that is understood by a few people close to you. You may be allowed to take a pick at the constellation you want to name a star from, and many service providers have created fill-in forms with this option included.

The basis on which the star choice is made includes brightness and closeness to our planet; the higher the proximity, the more visible the star. Consequently, The best choice is a star with a magnitude below ten so that you may watch it with a good telescope if it is little visible with binoculars or the naked eye. Very polluted regions are not hte best place to watch stars, and only cold winter days with little dust in the atmosphere could make observation possible. One thing that also needs a special mention is the fact that you cannot select exactly the star you want to name, you only have freedom as far as the choice of the constellation.