Name a star: understand your personalised star certificate
A personalised star certificate connects a real star with your chosen name and personal words. The gift includes a PDF and, after payment verification, one assignment in the private Starry Memory catalogue. This guide explains the scope of our internal registry, certificate prices and your privacy choices.
A real star, a personal dedication
Catalogue stars keep their Hipparcos references: HIP followed by a number identifies the astronomical entry. Your chosen name is a personal label in our private registry. A personalised star certificate does not give you ownership of the star or change scientific catalogues. The name is not recognised by the International Astronomical Union, and Starry Memory is not affiliated with it.
After Stripe payment is verified and assignment is confirmed, a HIP reference is associated with one order in this private catalogue. This exclusivity is limited to the internal Starry Memory registry. It does not cover the star itself or other registries, and does not mean you are the first person ever to name or dedicate that star. Certificates from earlier versions v1 and v2 retain their original prices and terms; the new unique assignment does not apply retrospectively or invalidate them.
Choose a star you can look for
Start with an available HIP reference, then check its coordinates and apparent magnitude. Not every catalogue star is visible with the naked eye: some may require binoculars or a telescope. The spectral type and certificate price guarantee neither visibility from your town nor ease of observation. Check the star’s position for your actual location and date.
For a first observing session, choose a clear evening, avoid direct street lighting and allow your eyes time to adjust. A more powerful telescope will not make a star visible through the Earth or from below your horizon. Before arranging a special outing, check the star’s position for your actual location and time in a sky chart. Weather, moonlight and buildings also affect what you can see. A dedication cannot guarantee year-round or worldwide visibility.
Understand the coordinates on the certificate
The Hipparcos reference identifies the catalogue entry. Right ascension, written α, and declination, written δ, specify a position on the celestial sphere. Right ascension is expressed in hours; declination is expressed in degrees. They are not terrestrial longitude and latitude, and they are not a postal address. J2000 identifies the reference epoch associated with the coordinates shown. The values on the certificate are rounded for orientation, rather than intended for precision telescope control.
Apparent magnitude describes brightness seen from Earth; absolute magnitude describes brightness at a reference distance of ten parsecs. Spectral type is an astronomical classification. Distance is an estimate derived from catalogue data: displaying it in parsecs or light years does not make it an exact measurement. Missing or unusable values should remain unreported, without invented precision. HYG data and their limits are separate from your chosen name and the commercial price.
Documented profiles and commercial prices
The astronomical profile draws on SIMBAD and the publications cited in the entry. The coordinate source, classification reference and consultation date are separate pieces of information. A giant requires an explicit luminosity class III; a supergiant requires an explicit class I. Missing or disputed data remain identified as such and do not by themselves justify a specialised selection.
Starry Memory’s commercial prices range from €9.90 to €2,490. Check the amount displayed for each entry: a profile alone does not define a price. Only selections with documented criteria and available entries can be ordered; a category may have no entries on offer.
Starry Memory sets these amounts for the personalised certificate and assignment in its private registry. Scientific publications describe properties without setting prices: these are not a valuation, a financial value of the star or a measure of rarity. A spectral class alone does not provide an individual mass, size or age. When a reference identifies a stellar system, properties observed for one component must be distinguished from those of the whole system.
Write a dedication that feels personal
The chosen star name, certificate recipient and your message are separate fields. A personal name, a meaningful date and a specific sentence can tell the story. For an anniversary, mention somewhere you went or a small ritual you share. For a new baby, write something they can read when they are older. The recipient and message stay private even if you choose to publish the star name.
Check spelling, your chosen name and the date in the preview before paying. The date you commemorate can differ from the certificate’s issue date. A preview does not reserve or assign the star. Any reservation during payment is temporary: assignment only takes effect after Stripe payment verification and confirmation in our registry. Check your order status if it remains pending.
What the certificate includes, from €9.90
The digital Starry Memory product includes a two-page A4 PDF: a personalised star certificate and an observing guide, with assignment in our private registry after verified payment and confirmed assignment. Commercial prices range from €9.90 to €2,490 according to the Starry Memory selection, as a one-time payment with no subscription. The amount for your selected entry is displayed before payment and confirmed on Stripe. For that entry, ivory, midnight and rose cost the same. There is no parcel, frame, ribbon or printing included. You can print the PDF or give it digitally.
The number identifies a certificate issued by Starry Memory, without validation by an official astronomical registry. The PDF is available through the confirmation page after payment is verified and assignment is confirmed. Save the file and its private download link; this product does not include an automatic delivery email. Check the amount shown for each new order: the price for one star is not a fixed price for the entire catalogue.
Publish or remove your chosen name
Name publication is off by default. You can choose to make only the name entered for the star public, beside its HIP reference and status in our catalogue. The recipient, message and email fields are never published. If your chosen star name itself contains personal information, enabling publication makes it public, so choose a name you are comfortable sharing.
Through your private order access, you can remove the name from public display. Removing it does not delete the certificate or internal assignment and does not make the star available again. Any demo names and statuses must be labelled as fictional: they are not evidence of real orders or assignments.
A star certificate or a personalised sky poster?
The products have different purposes. A dedication certificate focuses on one star and your message. A Starry Memory poster represents the sky calculated for a date and location, with its own design editor and digital or physical formats. Buying a dedication does not unlock a poster or place a Gelato printing order. Choose the certificate for a single-star dedication; choose the poster if you want the wider sky associated with a life event.
Before paying, check the product type, your spelling, the final Stripe total and how you plan to give the gift. Checkout is charged in euros; if your bank converts another currency, its exchange rate and fees can affect your account statement. A good matte paper and a simple envelope can make the PDF into something worth keeping. The strongest part of the gift is still your explanation of why that star reminds you of someone.
International Astronomical Union — Astronomy FAQs · CDS — Hipparcos
A private Starry Memory certificate for a symbolic gift. It grants neither ownership nor exclusivity over a star, nor a name recognised by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).