The humans are always putting up claims to ownership which
      sound equally funny in Heaven and in Hell...
                                                    --SCREWTAPE

Q: Can I buy a star, or have one named?
A: No.

Q: But I heard there were organizations that would do this for you. 
   Isn't that true?
A: No. There are organizations that will take your money and send you a
   certificate, but those documents have no validity and are not
   recognized by anyone else.

Q: Come on! Why can't we do this, just for fun?
A: If it is "just for fun", you might as well save money and print out
   your own certificate. It will be just as valid.

Q: OK, I understand the practice is probably a "scam", but I have a
   special situation. A dying child has requested her own star, and how
   can we possibly refuse her?
A: That is a difficult case. In the end, we can either tell the truth
   ("I'm sorry, Dear, but it is just not possible") or lie and obtain a
   certificate. In the later case, there is still no reason to give
   money to a "star naming" agency. Finally, I would ask "How do
   children get such ideas, unless some adult suggests it to them?"

========================================================================

[The following was provided by Jim Craig <jccraig@OREGON.UOREGON.EDU>]

Q: Can I buy a star? What about the companies that claim that I can pay
to have a star named after me or someone else?

A: Save your money. The various businesses that claim that you can have
a star named after you or a friend are only going to separate you from
your money. They might put your name in a database and they may send you
a certificate that lists the coordinates of "your" star but it's no more
official than having any individual name a star.

The names of astronomical objects are determined by the International
Astronomical Union (I.A.U.). Usually, the only time an object is named
after a living person is when that person (or persons) discover the
object (e.g. Comet Levy was discovered by David Levy, the large proper
motion of Barnard's Star was discovered by E.E. Barnard, etc.).

Planetary names come from Greek and Roman mythology. This is also true 
of the names of many planetary satelites, although some of the moons 
of Uranus were named after characters from Shakespeare. 

Star names come to us via historical convention. Most of the stars that
have individual names were named thousands of years ago and were first
catalogued by Ptolomey in ancient Egypt. The names come from folklore,
mythology and location (such as Polaris). All stars are also given a
numerical designation based on the constellation in which they're found
and their relative brightness. The brightest are given a Greek letter
designation followed by the name of the constellation such as Alpha
Centauri, Sigma Draconis, etc. After the last letter of the Greek
alphabet (omega) is used, the remaining stars are given numerical
designations followed by the constellation name such as 51 Pegasi, 38
Ursa Majoris, etc.

Craters and planetary feature names can have various origins. For
example, the IAU has asked that the names of famous women (particularly
in the sciences) be submitted for naming features on the surface of
Venus that have recently been revealed by the Magellan probe.

The discoverers of numbered minor planets have the traditional privilege
of proposing a name for their discoveries.  Asteroids named after 
musicians Frank Zappa, Jerry Garcia and John Lennon were all named by
sympathetic discoverers.

Objects that were named prior to the formation of the IAU will retain
their names.

For more information on this function of the IAU, see the Royal
Greenwich Observatory leaflet, "The Naming of Stars" at

    <http://www.ast.cam.ac.uk/RGO/leaflets/name/name.html>

If you feel you need to buy something astronomical for yourself or a
friend, get a subscription to one of the astronomy magazines like
"Astronomy" or "Sky and Telescope," a book, a planisphere or tickets to
a planetarium show. In this manner, you can connect with the universe of
astronomy and get some value for your money.

Other gift ideas:

    * Membership in the International Dark-Sky Association
    * Membership for a local Astronomy Club
    * Star Atlas
    * Astronomy computer programs
    * Eyepieces
    * A pair of binoculars