International Star Registry
Encyclopedia
The International Star Registry (ISR), founded in 1979, is a company which sells products related to entries in the Your Place in the Cosmos book published by the company every 2 – 3 years. As of 2009, the company has produced 8 volumes of the book which includes customers from August 2004 through July 2007.
The company was founded by Ivor Downie in Toronto
in 1979. Downie sold the company to Phylis Mosele. It moved its headquarters to Ingleside, Illinois
where it grew dramatically through heavy advertising—particularly on the radio.
as described in the book. Naming services are limited to an entry in the book and carries no scientific or official authenticity according to professional astronomers as well as the company's list of frequently asked questions.
(IAU) is the internationally recognized authority which designates stars
, planets, asteroids, comets, and other heavenly bodies according to internationally accepted rules. The IAU does not sell naming rights nor does it authorize any other company or organization to do so. The IAU cautions consumers that products and services marketed by ISR and other companies have no formal or official validity whatsoever. In fact with a few exceptions of ancient or Arabic names, nearly all stars are designated by catalog numbers rather than names.
The IAU has called the ISR's star-naming business far from dangerous "charlatanry" and their products and marketing have been criticised for "seem[ing] official." The company clarifies the products it sells on its frequently asked questions page stating:
ISR also sells Your Place in the Cosmos, the catalog listing customer purchases (now in the 8th volume.)
The ISR has been criticized for their lack of astronomical knowledge. Their FAQ
incorrectly states that "Only 2873 stars are visible to the naked eye" (while over a million have been sold). In reality the number of visible stars is closer to 10,000, depending on sky conditions. Astronomer Phil Plait suggested this may be a case of using an overly precise figure to make the ISR seem more scientific than they actually are. At one time, the FAQ also responded to the question "What happens if my star falls out of the sky?" with "[we would] name a new star for that person at our expense", without explanation that "shooting star
s" are actually meteoroid
s which are quite different from stars which do not "fall".
The company defends their products and services saying that they make no explicit claims about the official nature of the service and the practice breaks no laws. Vice president of marketing and advertising, Rocky Mosele, has stated that that customers accept the 'unofficial' nature of the star naming. Astronomy columnist Tammy Plotner wrote of some redeeming educational value saying that it can "motivate someone into taking a deeper look at what’s above them".
The ISR threatened Perkins Observatory
at Ohio Wesleyan University
with legal action when assistant director Robert Martino put up a website criticizing star-naming companies, despite it being factually correct. Even after Martino removed any direct reference to ISR, he was warned that he should not talk about star-naming at all. Eventually Martino was forced to host his criticisms privately and on newsgroups.
The company was founded by Ivor Downie in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
in 1979. Downie sold the company to Phylis Mosele. It moved its headquarters to Ingleside, Illinois
Ingleside, Illinois
Ingleside is an unincorporated community in Lake County, Illinois, United States. Ingleside is between Fox Lake, Round Lake Heights and Lake Villa.-Geography:Ingleside is on Squaw Creek between Long Lake, Duck Lake, and Fox Lake....
where it grew dramatically through heavy advertising—particularly on the radio.
Products
Products and services are often marketed as gifts or memorials. Packages sold by the company include framed and unframed certificates, personalized jewelry, plush toys, and pet rocks identifying "naming" of a starStar
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
as described in the book. Naming services are limited to an entry in the book and carries no scientific or official authenticity according to professional astronomers as well as the company's list of frequently asked questions.
Criticisms
The International Astronomical UnionInternational Astronomical Union
The International Astronomical Union IAU is a collection of professional astronomers, at the Ph.D. level and beyond, active in professional research and education in astronomy...
(IAU) is the internationally recognized authority which designates stars
Star designation
Designations of stars are done by the International Astronomical Union . Many of the star names in use today were inherited from the time before the IAU existed. Other names, mainly for variable stars , are being added all the time.Approximately 10,000 stars are visible to the naked eye...
, planets, asteroids, comets, and other heavenly bodies according to internationally accepted rules. The IAU does not sell naming rights nor does it authorize any other company or organization to do so. The IAU cautions consumers that products and services marketed by ISR and other companies have no formal or official validity whatsoever. In fact with a few exceptions of ancient or Arabic names, nearly all stars are designated by catalog numbers rather than names.
The IAU has called the ISR's star-naming business far from dangerous "charlatanry" and their products and marketing have been criticised for "seem[ing] official." The company clarifies the products it sells on its frequently asked questions page stating:
ISR also sells Your Place in the Cosmos, the catalog listing customer purchases (now in the 8th volume.)
The ISR has been criticized for their lack of astronomical knowledge. Their FAQ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions are listed questions and answers, all supposed to be commonly asked in some context, and pertaining to a particular topic. "FAQ" is usually pronounced as an initialism rather than an acronym, but an acronym form does exist. Since the acronym FAQ originated in textual...
incorrectly states that "Only 2873 stars are visible to the naked eye" (while over a million have been sold). In reality the number of visible stars is closer to 10,000, depending on sky conditions. Astronomer Phil Plait suggested this may be a case of using an overly precise figure to make the ISR seem more scientific than they actually are. At one time, the FAQ also responded to the question "What happens if my star falls out of the sky?" with "[we would] name a new star for that person at our expense", without explanation that "shooting star
Shooting Star
Shooting star is a common name for the visible path of a meteoroid as it enters the atmosphere to become a meteor.Shooting star may also refer to:* Shooting Star Children's Hospice, a UK children's charity* The Shooting Star, a 1942 Tintin adventure...
s" are actually meteoroid
Meteoroid
A meteoroid is a sand- to boulder-sized particle of debris in the Solar System. The visible path of a meteoroid that enters Earth's atmosphere is called a meteor, or colloquially a shooting star or falling star. If a meteoroid reaches the ground and survives impact, then it is called a meteorite...
s which are quite different from stars which do not "fall".
The company defends their products and services saying that they make no explicit claims about the official nature of the service and the practice breaks no laws. Vice president of marketing and advertising, Rocky Mosele, has stated that that customers accept the 'unofficial' nature of the star naming. Astronomy columnist Tammy Plotner wrote of some redeeming educational value saying that it can "motivate someone into taking a deeper look at what’s above them".
The ISR threatened Perkins Observatory
Perkins Observatory
Perkins Observatory is an astronomical observatory in Delaware, Ohio. It is owned and operated by Ohio Wesleyan University.-Early history:The observatory is named for Hiram Perkins, a professor of mathematics and astronomy at the Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio from 1857 to 1907...
at Ohio Wesleyan University
Ohio Wesleyan University
Ohio Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1842 by Methodist leaders and Central Ohio residents as a nonsectarian institution, and is a member of the Ohio Five — a consortium of Ohio liberal arts colleges...
with legal action when assistant director Robert Martino put up a website criticizing star-naming companies, despite it being factually correct. Even after Martino removed any direct reference to ISR, he was warned that he should not talk about star-naming at all. Eventually Martino was forced to host his criticisms privately and on newsgroups.