Official names for celestial objects are assigned by the
International Astronomical Union. Procedures vary depending on the type of object. Often there is a system for assigning
temporary designations as soon as possible after an object is discovered and later on a permanent name.<br /><br />Some
commercial companies purport to allow you to name a star. Typically they send you a nice certificate and a piece of a star atlas showing "your" star. <br /><br />The following statement on star naming was approved by the IPS Council June 30, 1988 --<br /><br />The
International Planetarium Society's Guidelines on Star Naming:<br /><br />SELLING STAR NAMES:<br /><br />The star names recognized and used by scientists are those that have been published by astronomers at credible scientific institutions. The International Astronomical Union, the worldwide federation of astronomical societies, accepts and uses only those names. Such names are never sold.<br /><br />Private groups in business to make money may claim to "name a star for you or a loved one, providing the perfect gift for many occasions." One organization offers to register that name in a Geneva, Switzerland, vault and to place that name in their beautiful copyrighted catalog.<br /><br />However official-sounding this procedure may seem, the name and the catalog are not recognized or used by any scientific institution. Further, the official-looking star charts that commonly accompany a "purchased star name" are the Becvar charts excerpted from the Atlas Coeli 1950.0. (Other star atlases such as the Atlas Borealis may be used also.) <br /><br />While these are legitimate charts, published by Sky Publishing Corporation, they have been modified by the private "star name" business