Mother’s Day 2027 · star certificate
Name a star for Mother’s Day
For Mother’s Day, pick a real star from the Hipparcos catalogue, give it a name of your choice and add a few words for your mum or mom. The PDF certificate is ready to download as soon as your payment is confirmed: print it, tuck it into a card or send it to her from far away, on the day itself.
- UK and Ireland: Mothering Sunday, 7 March 2027. United States: Mother’s Day, 9 May 2027.
- The two-page PDF downloads as soon as you pay: no parcel, no last posting date.
- The certificate preview is free, so you can check every word before paying.
Symbolic dedication in the private Starry Memory registry · from €8.91 · PDF to download as soon as you pay.
Giving a star: how it works
A real star, its personalised PDF certificate and a QR code to find it in the sky.
It is a symbolic dedication in the private Starry Memory registry, from €8.91. Nobody can buy a star, and the name you choose does not replace its scientific designation. What you give is a star she can look for from home, a name that means something to her and a message she can keep.
Mother’s Day 2027: two dates, two months apart
Mothering Sunday, the British Mother’s Day, falls on the fourth Sunday of Lent, three weeks before Easter. Easter 2027 is on 28 March, so Mothering Sunday is on Sunday 7 March 2027. Ireland celebrates on the same day.
In the United States, Mother’s Day is the second Sunday of May: Sunday 9 May 2027. Canada, Australia and New Zealand use the same date. Elsewhere, the day often changes:
- United Kingdom and Ireland: Sunday 7 March 2027;
- United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand: Sunday 9 May 2027;
- Germany, Italy, Belgium and Switzerland: Sunday 9 May 2027 as well;
- Spain and Portugal: Sunday 2 May 2027;
- France: Sunday 30 May 2027.
Why a star works for a mother
Most mothers already have the frames, the candles and the flowers that last a week. A star takes up no shelf space. It comes down to three things you choose: a name, a date and a message, written for her alone.
The name can be what the family calls her, “Mum”, “Mama”, her first name, or her children’s initials put together. The date can be her birthday, the day her first child was born, or simply Mother’s Day 2027. There is no need to be long or solemn: one true sentence is enough. Then the star is something to look for, in the garden or on the phone with you.
How to choose her star
The best rule is the sky above her home at that time of year. On 7 March it is fully dark in London by about 7.45 pm; on 9 May in New York, from about 10 pm.
If she wants to see it with the naked eye, choose a star of magnitude 6 or brighter and a spot away from street lights. The “Visible to the naked eye” level picks the brightest available star of that level for your hemisphere.
The chooser starts with a star suited to your hemisphere, based on your device’s time zone. If your mother lives in the other hemisphere, in Australia or New Zealand for instance, choose a constellation of her sky yourself, such as Crux, the Southern Cross.
UK: the sky on Mothering Sunday, 7 March 2027
Around 8.30 pm on Mothering Sunday, the winter sky is still in place over Britain: Gemini high in the south, Orion sinking towards the south-west, Leo climbing in the south-east. The Moon is close to new that weekend, so the evening is dark wherever the clouds allow.
| Constellation | 7 March 2027, around 8.30 pm (London) | Stars in the registry | Naked-eye stars among them | Choose a star |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gemini | High in the south, around Castor and Pollux | 16 | 12 | Choose a star |
| Auriga | High in the west, around bright Capella | 16 | 12 | Choose a star |
| Orion | In the south-west, sinking after dark | 20 | 15 | Choose a star |
| Leo | Climbing in the south-east, around Regulus | 29 | 23 | Choose a star |
| Ursa Major | High in the north-east: the Plough | 30 | 26 | Choose a star |
| Cassiopeia | Half-way up in the north-west, a W of stars | 16 | 7 | Choose a star |
Catalogue figures as of this page’s last update: a star already dedicated is no longer offered, and real availability is shown when you choose.
US: the sky on Mother’s Day, 9 May 2027
Around 10 pm on 9 May, from New York or anywhere at a similar latitude, the Big Dipper is almost overhead and orange Arcturus, in Boötes, shines high in the east-south-east. A young crescent Moon hangs low in the west and sets later in the evening. Elsewhere in the country the same constellations are up at about the same local time.
| Constellation | 9 May 2027, around 10 pm (New York) | Stars in the registry | Naked-eye stars among them | Choose a star |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ursa Major | Almost overhead: the Big Dipper | 30 | 26 | Choose a star |
| Boötes | High in the east-south-east, around Arcturus | 19 | 15 | Choose a star |
| Leo | High in the south-west, around Regulus | 29 | 23 | Choose a star |
| Virgo | Lower in the south-south-east, around Spica | 36 | 20 | Choose a star |
| Corvus | Low in the south, a small four-sided shape | 3 | 3 | Choose a star |
| Gemini | Sinking in the west, Castor and Pollux side by side | 16 | 12 | Choose a star |
| Lyra | Rising in the north-east, around Vega | 4 | 3 | Choose a star |
Positions computed for London and New York; they shift a little with your location. Visibility is never guaranteed: clouds, street lighting and the star’s brightness decide what you see; the finder guide and the QR code still show the direction.
8 dedication ideas for your mum
The dedication has three fields: the star’s name (up to 32 characters), the recipient (60 characters) and the message (280 characters, two or three sentences). One precise memory says more than a grand phrase. A few starting points:
From all the children
For the woman who taught three children to ride a bike, flip pancakes and say sorry. Happy Mother’s Day, Mum.
Her first Mother’s Day
Your first Mother’s Day. He cannot say it yet, so we will: thank you for the short nights and the gentle mornings.
Living far apart
Four hundred miles between your kitchen and mine. Tonight, look up: we are looking for the same star.
A little humour
For the only person who can always find my keys, my passport and my good mood. Happy Mother’s Day.
Short and simple
Thank you for everything you do that nobody notices. We notice.
For a mother-in-law
Thank you for making room for me at your table from the very first Sunday, as if I had always been there.
For a grandmother
To our gran, who turned every summer holiday into a story worth telling. From your five grandchildren.
In her memory
Mum, you used to show us the Plough from the garden. We still look for it, and we still think of you.
The recipient and the message stay private: they appear on the certificate, never on the star’s public page, where only the name can be shown if you switch that option on. For a joint gift, sign the message with every first name.
What she receives
A two-page A4 PDF, designed to be printed or given as it is:
- page 1, the numbered certificate: the star’s name, the recipient, the date and your message, with the star’s HIP number, constellation, coordinates and magnitude;
- page 2, a finder guide showing where and how to look for the star;
- a QR code that opens the “My star” page in the phone’s browser, no app needed: the star in 3D, then help to find it in the real sky with the phone’s motion sensors;
- three certificate colours at the same price: ivory, midnight blue or pink.
Which level to choose?
The chooser offers three levels: “Catalogue star” at €8.91, “Visible to the naked eye” at €17.91 and “Remarkable white star” at €44.91. Each includes the certificate, the finder guide and the QR code; what changes is the star, its brightness and its type.
If your mother likes stargazing, choose a naked-eye star. For a mainly symbolic gift, a catalogue star is enough: its magnitude is shown before you pay. Rarer stars, up to €2,241, are in the 3D explorer.
Timing: the PDF straight away, even on the Sunday
The certificate is a digital product. As soon as the payment is verified and the star assigned in our registry, the PDF appears on the confirmation page. Nothing is made or shipped, so you can prepare it a week ahead or on the Sunday morning.
Nothing is posted and nothing is sent automatically to your inbox: download the PDF straight away and keep its private link to yourself; give the file or the printout, not that link. To print it at home:
- in the UK, print on A4 at 100% or “actual size”, without fitting to the page;
- in the US, the file is A4: on Letter paper, choose “fit to page” so that nothing is cut off;
- use slightly heavier matte paper, around 160 to 250 g/m², or a print shop;
- frame the first page, or fold both pages into an envelope with a card;
- if she lives far away, send her the PDF yourself through a messaging app and call while she opens it.
What it is, and what it is not
It is a symbolic dedication: a real star, identified by its HIP number, assigned to a single order in the private Starry Memory registry, with the name, date and message you chose.
It is not a name recognised by the International Astronomical Union, with which Starry Memory has no affiliation. The star keeps its designation in scientific catalogues, and exclusivity only applies inside our own registry. Nor is it a promise that she will see it: depending on its brightness, she may need a dark sky or binoculars.
Prefer the whole sky of the night you were born?
The certificate puts one star in the spotlight. To show the whole sky of one night, the night you were born for instance, the personalised star map is a separate Starry Memory product, as a file or a print; for a print or a frame, the delivery time is shown before you pay. Buying one does not unlock the other.
Frequently asked questions
When is Mother’s Day 2027?
In the UK and Ireland, Mothering Sunday is on 7 March 2027. In the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, Mother’s Day is on Sunday 9 May 2027.
Can I order on the day and give it the same day?
Yes. The PDF is available as soon as the payment is verified and the star assigned, at any hour, Sundays included. Allow time to check the preview and print.
How do I give it if my mother lives far away?
Send her the PDF yourself through a messaging app, or print it and post it with a card. Nothing is sent automatically, so you choose the moment.
Will she be able to see the star from home?
That depends on its brightness, the place, the time and the weather. Stars of magnitude 6 or brighter can be seen with the naked eye under a dark sky; fainter ones need binoculars. The finder guide and the QR code show where to look, without guaranteeing visibility.
Will astronomers recognise the name?
No. It is a dedication in the private Starry Memory registry. The star names used by scientists are the responsibility of the International Astronomical Union, which does not sell any.
My mother has died. Does this still make sense?
Yes, if it feels right to you. The name can be her first name, the date her birthday or a happy memory. Our page on naming a star in memory offers gentle words for that moment.
How much does a Mother’s Day star cost?
From €8.91. The price depends on the level you choose, in other words on the star’s brightness and type; our pricing page lists every tier.
✦ Personalised star certificate
Give a star, scan it and find it in the sky with your smartphone
A personalised certificate with a QR code: one smartphone scan shows the star in 3D, then its direction in the real sky.
- Choose a real star and its name
- Scan the certificate’s QR code, no app needed
- Find it in the sky with your smartphone
From €8.91 · PDF to download as soon as you pay
Symbolic dedication in the private Starry Memory registry. Depending on its brightness and the weather, you’ll see it with the naked eye, with binoculars, or find its direction.