Question: I frequently hear radio commercials and sometimes see ads saying that, for a fee, you can have a star named for yourself or somebody else.
Is this legitimate? Aren't star names decided by some official international body, and can the names really be bought?
Answer: The International Astronomical Union, the internationally recognized authority for naming celestial bodies, says such names offered for sale commercially have no validity. It also says some such commercial enterprises have suggested to would-be customers that the IAU is somehow associated with or approves of their business, but that is not the case.
Faculty concerned about changes to U of A admissions policy
