# Official International Star Registry - Canada (https://starregistry.ca) > The International Star Registry has been naming stars for people around the world since 1979. We are the original and most trusted star naming service. ## Products - [Star Certificate & Photographic Sky Image](https://starregistry.ca/shop/star-package-sky-image/) — $140.00: What's Inside Your Custom Star Package? Personalized Star Certificate: A stunning 30x40 cm (12x16 in.) full-color parchment, featuring your chosen star name, naming date,… - [Wish Upon a Star® Name a Star & Make a Magical Wish!](https://starregistry.ca/shop/wish-upon-a-star-name-a-star-make-a-magical-wish/) — $79.95: WISH UPON A STAR Introducing an adorable new friend that will have your child Starry Eyed! Reach for the stars and make someone’s dreams… - [Ultimate Framed Star kit](https://starregistry.ca/shop/ultimate-star-package/) — $375.00: What does your package contain? Your Ultimate Star package will include a beautiful framed 30 x 40 cm (12 x 16 in.) full colour… - [Deluxe Framed Star kit](https://starregistry.ca/shop/deluxe-star-kit/) — $275.00: What does your package contain? Your Deluxe Star package will include a beautiful framed 30 x 40 cm (12 x 16 in.) full colour… - [Electronic version – Certificate and Photographic Sky Image](https://starregistry.ca/shop/electronic-version-star-certificate-and-skyimage/) — $100.00: Need a last minute gift and cannot wait for the shipping of documents? This is for you! This PDF version of the Star Certificate… - [Genuine Sterling silver necklace with Star pendant](https://starregistry.ca/shop/pendant/) — $75.00: Genuine Sterling Silver necklace with moon and half moon pendant with inscription…. I love you to the moon and back - [Note/Gift Card](https://starregistry.ca/shop/note-gift-card/) — $2.00: 🎁 Small Add-On. Big Emotional Impact. Add extra personalized note cards and make your Star Package even more powerful. Size: 5.5" x 4" White… - [Original Star package](https://starregistry.ca/shop/star-package/) — $100.00: What does your package contain? Your Custom Star package will include a beautiful 30 x 40 cm (12 x 16 in.) full colour parchment… - [Die-Cut Sticker](https://starregistry.ca/shop/die-cut-sticker/) — $3.00: 💫 Seal It With the Stars Add the official International Star Registry sticker to elevate your certificate, keepsake box, or display. It’s not just… - [Official ISR Keepsake Pouch](https://starregistry.ca/shop/official-isr-keepsake-pouch/) — $5.00: Keep your TREASURES close to your heart. This exquisite 9 x 12 cm royal blue velvet pouch is designed to protect life's most precious… - [Zodiac Sign Keychains – Personalized Cosmic Keepsake ](https://starregistry.ca/shop/zodiac-sign-keychains-personalized-cosmic-keepsake/) — $5.00: ✨ Zodiac Sign Keychains – Personalized Cosmic Keepsake ✨ Carry your stars wherever you go! 🌟 These beautifully crafted Zodiac Sign Keychains are the… - [Your Place in the Cosmos](https://starregistry.ca/shop/book/) — $35.00: Compendium for stars named between July 2017 and February 2024 ## Pages - [Celebrity Hall of Fame](https://starregistry.ca/celebrity-hall-of-fame/) - [Contact](https://starregistry.ca/contact/) - [FAQ](https://starregistry.ca/faq/) - [Find Your Star](https://starregistry.ca/find-your-star/) - [Name a star](https://starregistry.ca/shop/) - [Name a star for a Birthday](https://starregistry.ca/name-a-star-for-a-birthday/) - [Name a Star for a Graduation](https://starregistry.ca/name-a-star-for-a-graduation/) - [Name a Star for a New Baby](https://starregistry.ca/name-a-star-for-a-new-baby/) - [Name a star for a Wedding](https://starregistry.ca/name-a-star-for-a-wedding/) - [Name a Star for an Anniversary](https://starregistry.ca/name-a-star-for-an-anniversary/) - [Name a Star for Christmas](https://starregistry.ca/name-a-star-for-christmas/) - [Name a Star for Valentine’s Day](https://starregistry.ca/name-a-star-for-valentines-day/) - [Name a Star in Memory of Someone](https://starregistry.ca/name-a-star-in-memory-of-someone/) - [Official Canadian International Star Registry](https://starregistry.ca/) - [Our Process – Star Naming](https://starregistry.ca/how-star-naming-works/) - [Personal Information](https://starregistry.ca/personal-information/) - [Refund and Returns Policy](https://starregistry.ca/refund_returns/) - [Testimonials](https://starregistry.ca/testimonials/) - [Twinkling Stars Foundation](https://starregistry.ca/foundation/) ## Key Information - **Founded**: 1979 - **Country**: Canada - **Languages**: English, French - **Currency**: CAD - **Contact**: stars@starregistry.ca - **Phone**: 1-800-267-3701 ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What Is the History of International Star Registry? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Star_Registry ### What Makes International Star Registry the Original vs. Copycat Services? Since 1979, International Star Registry has been the original and trusted star naming service, helping millions commemorate life’s most meaningful moments with lasting memories that endure for generations. While copycat operations have sprung up on the internet over the years, many disappear within a year or two, leaving frustrated customers who discover these imitators name the same stars repeatedly and refuse to publish star names and coordinates to hide their deceptive practices. Unlike these basement operations offering cheap certificates, we provide a beautifully bound package with a personalized certificate, detailed star charts showing your star’s exact location, and comprehensive astronomy information – a complete keepsake backed by permanently maintained records that can be replaced if ever lost or damaged. For… ### Is Naming a Star Legit? Yes, as a personal keepsake gift. No, as an official astronomical name, and we tell you that up front. When you name a star with us, your chosen name is recorded in our private registry, and you receive a certificate with your star’s coordinates and a sky chart. It is a heartfelt, lasting way to mark a birthday, a new baby, an anniversary, or a life. Star naming is a novelty gift and isn’t recognized by the scientific community. The International Astronomical Union (IAU), the body that assigns official names to celestial objects, doesn’t recognize commercial star names. The name lives in our registry and on your certificate, not in professional astronomy catalogues. The gift is the meaning behind it:… ### Can You Name a Star Through NASA? No. NASA doesn’t name stars, and it doesn’t sell or register star names for the public. Official star names are assigned by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), and only for scientific purposes. What you can do is name a star as a personal keepsake gift. When you name a star with us, your chosen name goes into our private registry, and you receive a certificate with your star’s coordinates and a sky chart. We’re not affiliated with NASA, and the names aren’t recognized by NASA, the IAU or the scientific community. What you get is a heartfelt, lasting way to celebrate a birthday, a new baby, an anniversary, or someone you love. The star is real, and the name is… ### What should I name the star? First names and full names are very popular choices and are always suitable, but we also welcome inspired creativity! The one limit we have is a maximum of 35 characters, including punctuation and spaces. Once we have named a star for you and entered the information into our online database, we will prepare the star package which will be mailed out to you, complete with your certificate and sky chart. We will also send you an email with a link so that you may see the star on the web. We will then publish, in the next volume of our compendium Your Place in the Cosmos, the star’s name and telescopic coordinates. ### How long does it take to receive the star package? Orders leave within two business days of us receiving them. Depending on the destination and the delivery option that you have chosen, it would take a further two (2) to six (6) days. Canada Post will send you a tracking number for your parcel as soon as we are ready to ship it out, so you will be able to follow its progress as it makes its way to its destination. Also, please note that on the same day that we mail your star package out, we will send you a PDF file containing a smaller version of the documents. This file can be printed on regular letter-sized paper, or shared electronically if that is suitable. For last-minute purchases, these… ### Will I be able to see the star? Yes, you will be able to see the star that we have named through the services of the Worldwide Telescope (WWT). We will send you an email which will include a PDF version of your certificate and sky chart, as well as a link that will allow you to connect directly to the WWT. Only 9000 stars are visible to the naked eye from our planet, and some of these already have scientific or historic names. Since we have named almost three million stars over the past 40 years, it is not possible to see the stars that we name nowadays with a hobbyist’s telescope. ### How many times do you name each star? Each star is only named once, and then it is immediately removed from the list of stars available to be registered. We work with NASA’s Hubble Guide Star Catalog, which contains almost 20 million distinct stars. Since International Star Registry was created in 1979, we have named almost three million stars – and we would thus have no reason to rename stars that we have already named, since there are 17 million left to be registered. However, we do know that in order to simplify their operations, the copycats keep naming the same 5000 stars over and over (see the “Other Companies” FAQ above). ### What is the registration date for? We add the date on which the star name becomes official to the certificate of registration, as a further way of personalizing your gift if you are naming a star for a special event. ### Will astronomers call the star by its new name? No. In professional astronomical and scientific circles, the star that you name will be referred to either by telescope co-ordinates or by identity number, both of which will appear on the sky chart that we will prepare for you. Naming a star is considered as a symbolic rather than scientific gesture. ### Can I buy a star? It is not possible to buy a star. The stars named through International Star Registry are not “owned”, nor is their scientific identification altered. International Star Registry enables individuals to name an actual star for a person most appreciated by them. This astronomical listing is not scientific, but symbolic, and the stars are recorded alphabetically rather than by their size and location. The advantages of registering stars in this manner are of both personal and historical significance. Because the stars are listed according to the names assigned to each, centuries from now our descendants will be able to locate the names in the “Your Place in the Cosmos” series of hard cover astronomy books, look up the name and find… ### What will happen if the name that I choose has already been used? Our database works a little like a telephone book (remember those), where you might have a number of people listed who have the same name. You would be able to differentiate them by address and by telephone number. Similarly, you might have any number of stars named “Judy”. When looking up the star named for your “Judy” in the relevant volume of “Your Place in the Cosmos”, you would seek the constellation and coordinates of the star named for that particular “Judy” (eg. Judy, Leo, RA 11h 38m D 28° 28’20”). This would be a unique set of information, and different from any other. ### Can I give the star more than one person’s name? Yes – we often name stars for couples, families or even groups of people. Our only limit: the name cannot be longer than 35 characters (including letters, numbers and spaces between words). ### Can I name two stars that are close to one another? Yes, if we are talking about being optically close as seen from the earth. The real distance could be light years apart. We keep records of all of the star positions named through our office, and in most cases, we can name another star or stars in close proximity to the first one that was named, according to the coordinates and position on the map. ### Do you offer brighter or binary stars? Some of the companies that we call « the copycats » offer to name bright stars or binary star systems, because they keep naming the same stars over and over again. We are proud to say that we will never do that. Each star is as unique as the person for whom you are naming it. ### When do you publish the catalog of star names? We publish a new volume of our catalog, known as Your Place in the Cosmos, approximately once every four years, and each volume presents the names of stars named within that four year period. If you wish to purchase a copy of the book that will list the name of the star that we will have named for you, let us know and we will contact you as soon as the book gets published, or visit our website to see when the book is scheduled to come out. Copies of each of our volumes are filed in International Star Registry’s vaults in Switzerland, and are also available through the US Library of Congress. ### What does the certificate say, exactly? Know ye herewith that the International Star Registry doth hereby redesignate star number (star coordinates) to the name (name given to the star). Know ye further that this star will henceforth be known by this name. This name is permanently filed in the Registry’s vault in Switzerland and recorded in a book which will be registered in the copyright office of the United States of America. In witness whereof we hereunto set our hands and affix the seal of the International Star Registry this (date). P. McAdams, Secretary E. Stolpe, Registrar --- Generated 2026-11-01 from live site content.