International Star Registry -- or something like that

Paul Schlyter wrote:

In article , Joe S. wrote:

What's with this place called "International Star Registry" -- or something
like that.

They advertise that they will name a star for you, your sweet thing, your
dog, whatever -- and "register it."

And????

It works like this:

1. You send them your money.

2. They send you a "certificate"; it's a pretty-looking piece of paper
and nothing more.

That's it. The name they attach to some faint telescopic star and put in
their book has no official status whatsoever. Astronomers will never use
that name. And, in addition, that same star may be named for others, by
other "star registries". Yes, there are several companies which sell
unofficial star names against a fee. One of them even tries to appear
very "official" by calling itself "Ministry of Federal Star Registration",
but it's just a scam company among the other star name selling companies.
Check out these links:

Info about buying star names:
=============================

http://www.wired.com/news/business/0...?tw=wn20011226
Buy a Star, But It's Not Yours (Wired)
http://home.columbus.rr.com/starfaq/
Buy a Star Name FAQ
http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/con...tarNaming.html
Buying a Star: the Facts
http://www.yahoo.com/Business_and_Ec...ed_Gifts/Stars
Buying a star
http://www.mindspring.com/~jeffpo/buystar.htm
Can I Buy a Star?, Can I Name a Star?
http://www.ips-planetarium.org/ips-starnaming.html
IPS: Publications -- IPS Official Statement on Star Naming...
http://home.columbus.rr.com/starfaq/
Official Star Naming FAQ
http://www.findarticles.com/m1202/2_.../article.jhtml
Sky and Telescope: Astronomers Threatened by Star-Naming Company.
http://home.carolina.rr.com/nirgal/buyastar.html
So You Want to Buy A Star?


Star naming companies -- all of them are unofficial,
including the "Ministry of Federal Star Registration":
================================================== ====

http://www.celestial-registry.com/
http://www.celestialregistry.com/
Celestial Registry

http://www.shopsite.com/stars/
http://www.starregistry.com.au/
http://www.starregistry.co.uk/
http://www.tyger.co.uk/starreg/
http://www.starregistry.com/
http://www.corporatestar.com/
International Star Registry

http://www.buyastar.com/
Ministry of Federal Star Registration
(despite the name, it's just a small company)

http://www.kreative.net/seascape/star/
Schell's Astronomical Index

http://www.stardeed.com/
Star Deed

http://www.starnames.com/
Universal Star Listing


Some other scams:
=================

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&i...ake+%2Bfortune
Oscar Hartzell - a very successful scammer
http://www.pulc.com/Programs/professional.htm
Professional Ph.D.'s for sale!!!
http://www.scamorama.com/
Scam o Rama, or The Lads from Lagos


--
----------------------------------------------------------------
Paul Schlyter, Grev Turegatan 40, SE-114 38 Stockholm, SWEDEN
e-mail: pausch at stockholm dot bostream dot se
WWW: http://www.stjarnhimlen.se/
http://home.tiscali.se/pausch/

Thanks Paul
-Sam

In article , JAS wrote:
Thanks to all who replied. That's what I thought.

Folks at work know I have a scope and that I stay up late or get up at
ghastly hours to look at stars. One lady at work asked me about the ISR --
she saw an advertisement of some kind and she wants to "name a star" for her
husband or son or someone -- guess I'll tell her that no astronomer will use
that name but if it floats her boat . . . .

I like John Steinberg's comparison to pet rocks!

What bugs me about the ISR is the maps they send.

I've seen a couple of friends' ISR packets. In each case, the map
(a) didn't show the star -- its limiting magnitude was 'way too bright,
showing essentially what you'd see in small binoculars
(mag 7) while the star was much fainter (mag 11 or so).

Much worse in my opinion,
(b) the map was clearly a xeroxed page from the
Skalnate Pleso Atlas of the Heavens, but didn't admit it --
nowhere in the packet nor on the map was the source of the
map mentioned. I'll bet the Czechs are getting no money at all
while the ISR makes 90% profit on their silly certificates.

Grump, grump.

Stuart

Yeah, why not? If it floats the boat....I guess they do send some
literature about astronomy along too...so who knows? Maybe something
like that can actually generate some interest in our great hobby...
Who knows? Just as its done honestly, as you state below.
Clear Skies,
Tom W.





JAS wrote:
Thanks to all who replied. That's what I thought.

Folks at work know I have a scope and that I stay up late or get up at
ghastly hours to look at stars. One lady at work asked me about the ISR --
she saw an advertisement of some kind and she wants to "name a star" for her
husband or son or someone -- guess I'll tell her that no astronomer will use
that name but if it floats her boat . . . .

--
----
JAS


"Joe S." wrote in message
...

What's with this place called "International Star Registry" -- or

something

like that.

They advertise that they will name a star for you, your sweet thing, your
dog, whatever -- and "register it."

And????

--

----
Joe S.

John Beaderstadt wrote:


Joe,
Anyone can 'sell' anyone a star name, or any other name....


Hey! If I want to do the same thing as the ISR, with exactly the same
stars... I mean, if I go into business as the Beady Star Registry and
sell stars to people that the International Star Registry has already
sold to other people, will I get into any trouble?


Get into trouble? By Who? Most stars already have 4 or 5 'official'
names anyway...scientific names in fact...take Polaris, for instance:

Polaris - (proper, or common, name)
Alpha Ursae Minoris (astronomical name)
1 Ursae Minoris (Flamsteed numbered name)
The North Star (nickname)
The Pole Star (another nickname)
HD 8890

And since it's a visual double, it may even have an
Aiken or Burnham number. It may even have an
SAO (Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory) number, but
I am not familar with any of these.
It may even have a Palomar or Hipparchos satellite number
but again, I just don't know.

So, so what if it has an additional 2500 more names,
like Beady star no....such and such.
Astronomers will only recognize the first 4 or 5 names
I listed anyway, for that particular star...after all, that's
enough for the memory!!
Clear Skies,
Tom W.

"Stuart Levy" wrote in message
...
In article , JAS wrote:
Thanks to all who replied. That's what I thought.

Folks at work know I have a scope and that I stay up late or get up at
ghastly hours to look at stars. One lady at work asked me about the
ISR --
she saw an advertisement of some kind and she wants to "name a star" for
her
husband or son or someone -- guess I'll tell her that no astronomer will
use
that name but if it floats her boat . . . .

I like John Steinberg's comparison to pet rocks!

What bugs me about the ISR is the maps they send.
snip

I received one as a gift when I was a kid. Some star in Hercules. They even
took a yellow hi-liter and outlined Hercules on the map, but made a mistake.
Instead of doing a new one, I have Herc outlined, and a yellow swipe off one
star to nowhere. Very cheesey. I do however, admit, I still have the
certificate.

It'd be hoot to see if anyone else has the same star from ISR. Lawsuit
material?

BV.

Not Really, BV...
While it may seem to us astronomers that what they do is
a bit sleezy....there is no *legal* reason why, if you want to pay
me for it ;-) that I couldn't sell you the exact same
"star-name" or "star" that I just sold to someone else....
or the same blade of grass...
or the same molecule of air...
or the same small crater on the back side of the moon...
ad nauseum...because the whole thing is 'meaningless' anyway.
Clear Skies,
Tom W.


It'd be hoot to see if anyone else has the same star from ISR. Lawsuit
material?

BV.

"Paul Schlyter" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Alan French wrote:

My wife and I picked out a star for ourselves - W Ursae Majoris - and
had it
engraved in our wedding bands (we were so worried about the spelling we
missed noticing they got the wedding date wrong in my ring). It's easy
to
see with the naked eye, pretty easy to find, and seemed very
appropriate.
You could do the same thing, and it is quite easy to print up your own
certificate or chart for yourself or a friend. It is also very
inexpensive.
I suppose the ISR sold it to someone long ago, but, tough, it's ours
now.

So how much do you charge others who want to look at W Uma ? g

Paul,

It's free, unless you are charging money for the look, then it's 20 percent
of your net G.

Clear skies, Alan