International Star Registry
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The International Star Registry (ISR), founded in 1979, enables buyers to name a star as a gift or memorial. Once the star is named, the ISR publishes its telescopic coordinates in a book called "Your Place in the Cosmos."
Contents |
[edit] History
The company was founded by Ira Downings in Toronto in 1979. Downings sold the company to Phylis Mosele. It moved its headquarters to Ingleside, Illinois where it grew dramatically through via heavy advertising -- particularly on the radio.[1]
The names in this book are not recognized by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), which has the internationally recognized authority to name and designate newly discovered stars, planets, asteroids, comets, and other heavenly bodies.
[edit] Criticisms
The IAU has called the ISR's star-naming business "a deplorable commercial trick."[2] However, the ISR does not claim to officially name a star, saying:
“
No. We do not own the star, so we cannot sell it to you. This is like adopting the star. This star is associated with that special someone. It is something you can point at to know that there is something special out there for you.[3]”
The ISR has been criticised for their lack of astronomical knowledge. Their FAQ incorrectly states that "Only 2873 stars are visible to the naked eye."[4] In reality the number of visible stars is closer to 10,000, depending on sky conditions. Astronomer Phil Plait suggested this may be a case of using an overly precise figure to make the ISR seem more scientific than they actually are.[5] At one time, the FAQ also responded to the question "What happens if my star falls out of the sky?" with "[we would] name a new star for that person at our expense", without explaining that meteors (shooting stars) are not the same thing as stars.[5]
The ISR threatened Perkins Observatory at Ohio Wesleyan University with legal action when assistant director Robert Martino put up a website criticising star-naming companies, despite it being factually correct.[5] Even after Martino removed any direct reference to ISR, he was warned that he should not talk about star-naming at all. Eventually Martino was forced to host his criticisms privately and on newsgroups.[6]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Strange Universe: The Weird and Wild Science of Everyday Life--on Earth and Beyond - Bob Berman - Times Books; 1st edition (January 6, 2004) ISBN 0805073280
- ^ Cecil Adams, "Can you pay $35 to get a star named after you?" from The Straight Dope, 1 Apr 1988.
- ^ ISR FAQ, "Am I buying the Star?" from International Star Registry
- ^ "International Star Registry - Frequently Asked Questions"". http://www.starregistry.com.au/faq.html. Retrieved on 2009-05-14.
- ^ a b c Philip C. Plait. Bad Astronomy. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0471409766.
- ^ "The OFFICIAL Star Naming FAQ" is archived at web.archive.org
