"Alan French" wrote in
:

I've often thought some enterprising soul should set up a web site
where you can pick your own star - for free. "Have your name
associated with a star!" It could include an option to have your name
added to a public database of "name associations," and the ability to
print a chart and nice certificate on your home printer.

Lacking such a site, folks could certainly pick one on their own, and
use a planetarium program to print a chart. Sue and I have "our" star
- W Ursae Majoris - propery registered in our weddding bands.

Clear skies, Alan

I do this for friends and family who ask me about buying a star. I use
this web site http://outreach.jach.hawaii.edu/birthstars/ to pick an
appropriate naked eye star, then print out a star chart for them to find
thier star and a little certificate with the following verbiage:

Let it be known to all that the star located at Right Ascension 4:5:20.3
and Declination 22:0:32.1 will hereafter be known to the family and friends
of John Doe as "John" This star is 54.5 light years away, which means that
the light we see from it today set off on its journey at about the same
time that John Doe was born.