Naming a star in memory of someone
If you've arrived here, it's probably because someone mattered — and you're looking for something that lasts longer than flowers. We're glad you found us, and before anything else we'll tell you what we tell every customer: star naming is symbolic. Only the International Astronomical Union names stars officially, and it doesn't sell them. Any company that implies otherwise is selling a promise it can't keep — and grief deserves better than that.
We think the symbolism is exactly why it helps. A named star asks nothing of you. There's no grave to tend, no anniversary it demands. It's simply there — on clear nights, on hard nights — a fixed point in the sky that carries their name.
What a memorial star includes
- A real, catalogued star — from the Hipparcos astronomical catalogue, with genuine coordinates, dedicated to them in our register: once, permanently, never resold.
- A certificate and coordinates sheet (A4, printable at home) — many families print one for the memorial service, and reprints are free forever: for an anniversary, or for a grandchild who one day asks about the name.
- Their own star page — an interactive sky map showing the star among its constellation, with the dedication message you choose. It never expires, and anyone with the link can visit it.
Choosing the dedication: some people use a name ("Margaret's Star"), some a phrase ("Always guiding us home", "Shining on"). If the words won't come, a name and a date say enough. You can choose the constellation too — perhaps one visible from their garden in winter, or their zodiac sign — or let us choose a star from anywhere in the sky.
Given at services, kept for lifetimes
A memorial star costs £9.99 and is ready within minutes of ordering — which matters when a service is tomorrow and you want something to hand to a grieving parent, or to read aloud. It is deliberately not a grand gesture. It's a quiet one, honestly described, that stays.
A note on what we won't say
We won't tell you they're "up there now" or that the star "is" them — that's yours to feel or not, and it isn't ours to sell. What we can promise is smaller and true: a real star, their name against it in our register, and documents their family can hold, print, and pass on.
£9.99 digital, ready in minutes · £19.99 for the five printed documents, posted free · free reprints, always
Name a memorial star ✦Questions first? We're here — and gentle with them.