weemba@brahms.BERKELEY.EDU (Matthew P. Wiener) (02/27/86)
The following discussion is from net.astro: >> My friend is trying to locate an organization which he's heard about that's >> in the business of, for a fee, naming a star for you. (The organization >> might be on the west coast.) He's contacted a few of the local >> astronomical societies, and they know of this organization, but they >> disagree with the whole idea, so they won't provide a pointer to the >> organization. >> >I can't help you, but someone should clarify this point every few months. >Objections are not that the idea is hokey, or that it`s terrible to name stars >after people. It`s just that the only organization with the legal right >to name astronomical objects is the International Astronomical Union. >Any other organization claiming to do so is defrauding people. >I should mention that some astronomical organizations do similar things >to raise money, but it is made clear at the time that the certificate they >send you has no legal standing. This is an interesting point. I agree that non-IAU claims are fraudulent, and that their certificates are merely paper suitable for wrapping fish. But what does it mean to say that the IAU has an exclusive legal right to name astronomical objects? It sounds like a very strange law/treaty to me. Why is Big Dipper OK but Fred's Galaxy not, speaking de jure? Neither name is IAU sanctioned. Knowledgeable clarification welcome. ucbvax!brahms!weemba Matthew P Wiener/UCB Math Dept/Berkeley CA 94720