I’ve heard ads on the radio for the International Star Registry where you send them money and they name a star after you. I always assumed that it was a scam, and wondered how they got away with it. It turns out that the International Star Registry is on rather shaky ground, and lawsuits by the New York Office of Consumer Affairs and the Federal Trade Commission seem to back me up. Yes, the ISR is just printing your name in a book, in some cases “sell” the same star more than once, and the name they give has no official recognition by working astronomers.
The Skeptical Inquirer has more information on the scam here. You can also get more information on star naming scams here and here.
Let the buyer beware. Thanks to the Bad Astonomer for the pointer.
Stumble it!