Name a star or adopt a star?
Last updated 20 October 2026
Naming a star dedicates a real, catalogued star to a name of your choosing in a private register, and gives you documents to keep. Adopting a star usually means making a donation — to an observatory, a university or an astronomy charity — and receiving a certificate in return. Neither gives anyone an official astronomical name, because only the International Astronomical Union assigns those and it does not sell them.
What naming a star actually is
A company allocates a star from an astronomical catalogue, records your chosen name against it in its own register, and sends you a certificate, the coordinates and usually a chart. The star is real and the coordinates are real. The name exists in that company's register and nowhere else. That is the whole of it, and any company telling you more than that is overstating.
What adopting a star usually is
An adoption scheme is a donation with a keepsake attached. The money goes to the organisation — telescope time, outreach, research, a planetarium — and you receive a certificate naming the star you have supported. The star usually keeps its existing catalogue designation; you are not renaming anything, and the better schemes say so plainly. If the cause matters to you more than the keepsake, adoption is the honest choice.
Which makes the better gift
It depends entirely on who is receiving it. A named star is personal: their name, a message you chose, a certificate they can frame and a point in the sky to look at. An adopted star is a contribution in their honour, which suits someone who would rather the money did something than bought something. One is a keepsake, the other is a donation. Both are honest as long as nobody pretends the name is official.
How to adopt a star in the UK
Most people searching for how to adopt a star want one of two things, and the route is different for each.
- To support astronomy: look for an adoption or sponsorship scheme run by an observatory, a planetarium, a university department or an astronomy charity. If it says it is a charity, check it on the Charity Commission register, and read what the money pays for.
- For a keepsake with their name on it: that is star naming, whatever the seller calls it. Choose a company that names a real catalogued star, prints its catalogue reference and coordinates, lets anyone verify the entry, and says it is symbolic before you pay. With us you choose a constellation, write the name and dedication, and order: £9.99 digital in minutes, or £19.99 printed and posted free in the UK.
- Either way, ask the three questions below before you pay.
What to check before buying either
Ask the same three questions of both. Can you identify the star afterwards — is there a catalogue reference and a set of coordinates you can look up independently? Can anyone verify the entry later, or does it exist only on your certificate? And does the seller tell you it is symbolic before you pay, rather than in the small print of a terms page? If an adoption scheme is a charity, the money going somewhere useful is the point; if a naming company will not answer those three questions, go elsewhere.
Common questions
Is naming a star the same as adopting a star?
No. Naming a star records your chosen name against a real catalogued star in a company's private register and gives you documents to keep. Adopting a star is usually a donation to an observatory, university or astronomy charity, with a certificate acknowledging your support. Neither confers an official astronomical name.
How do I adopt a star in the UK?
If you want to support astronomy, give through an adoption or sponsorship scheme run by an observatory, planetarium, university or astronomy charity, and check where the money goes. If you want a keepsake with someone's name on it, what you are looking for is star naming: choose a company that shows you the star's catalogue reference and coordinates and lets anyone verify the entry.
Can you adopt a star as a gift?
Yes. An adoption is a donation made in their honour, with a certificate to give them. A named star is a keepsake: their name against a real star in a register, documents to keep and a star page of their own. Neither gives the star an official name.
Does adopting a star support science?
With a reputable scheme, yes — that is the point of it. The money typically funds telescope time, research or public outreach, and the certificate is an acknowledgement rather than a product. Check where the money actually goes before you buy; a good scheme says so clearly.
Which is better value?
They are not the same purchase, so value depends on what you want. A symbolic naming from us is £9.99 digital or £19.99 printed and posted free, and the recipient keeps the documents and a star page permanently. A donation gives them nothing to hold but puts the money to work. If you want both, name a star and give to an astronomy charity separately — it will usually cost less than a premium star package.
Can either of them get a star officially named?
No, and nobody can. Only the International Astronomical Union assigns official star designations, it does so rarely, and it does not sell them to the public. Any company or scheme implying otherwise is overstating what it can do.
Read next: What do you actually get? · The cheapest way to name a star in the UK · Is the star register real?
£9.99 in minutes · £19.99 printed and posted free · dedicated once, never resold
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