The Complete Guide to Naming a Star
Naming a star is one of the most personal gifts in existence — a point of light in the night sky, yours forever, bearing the name you choose. For thousands of years, humans have traced patterns in the stars and named what they saw: Sirius, Betelgeuse, Vega, Polaris. Today, you can add your own chapter to that tradition.
The Starmint's Official Blockchain Star Registry lets you dedicate a real star in the night sky to anyone — a person you love, a memory you want to honor, or a moment you want to make permanent. What sets The Starmint apart is straightforward: your registration is recorded on the Polygon blockchain, a public ledger. That means it is permanent, can be checked by anyone, and cannot be altered or deleted by anyone, including us.
This guide explains how naming a star works, what makes it meaningful, and what to expect when you name a star at The Starmint.
Is Naming a Star Official? The IAU and Private Registries
The most common question about star naming is also the most understandable: when you name a star through a private registry, is it “official”?
The honest answer requires a small distinction.
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) is the global body responsible for assigning scientific names to stars — names used in research, navigation, and academic publication. IAU-recognized star names include Sirius, Rigel, Fomalhaut, and roughly 450 others. The IAU does not accept name submissions from the public, and no private registry can assign an IAU-recognized name. This is by design: scientific nomenclature needs to be stable and tightly controlled.
Private star naming is something different. It is a tradition of personal dedication: you pick a star, you give it a name that matters to you, and that name is recorded in a registry. What determines the value of that registration is the permanence and verifiability of the record.
When you name a star at The Starmint, the registration is recorded on the Polygon blockchain — a public, permanent ledger. Once your star is registered, you can open it from My Stars in your account and select View on Blockchain to see the record on polygonscan.com, a public explorer that anyone can use without needing to trust The Starmint or any other company.
A public blockchain record is more durable than a paper certificate, more transparent than a private database, and does not depend on any one website staying online.
So is it “official” in the IAU sense? No — and no private registry can be. Is it a permanent, verifiable record of a meaningful act? Absolutely.
What Makes The Starmint Different?
The star registry market has existed for decades, but The Starmint's approach is distinct in ways that matter.
Blockchain registration
Most star registries issue a paper or PDF certificate backed by a private database. When you name a star at The Starmint, the registration is recorded on the Polygon blockchain — a public ledger that anyone can check at any time, with no dependency on The Starmint's servers or longevity.
A real star that you choose
Every star in The Starmint's registry is a real catalogued star at specific right ascension and declination coordinates — the same coordinates astronomers use. You choose the star yourself: by constellation, by zodiac sign or birthday, by the night sky over a place that matters to you, or at random. Each star can be registered only once.
A personalized certificate
Your certificate carries a star chart for your star, along with its name, its catalogue identifier, its coordinates and, if you wish, a date and a dedication. A QR code on the certificate links to the public blockchain record.
Physical gift products
The Starmint also offers printed keepsakes personalized with your star: framed and mounted prints, mugs, hoodies, coasters and cushions. They are made to order and sold separately from the registration.
How to Name a Star: Step by Step
Naming a star at The Starmint takes a few minutes. Here is what happens.
- Find your star. On the Find A Star page, choose a real catalogued star by constellation, by zodiac sign or birthday, by the night sky over a location, or at random. You can change your choice as often as you like before you check out.
- Name it. Enter the star name — typically the recipient's name or a phrase with personal meaning — a naming date, and an optional dedication of up to 570 characters. If it is a gift, add the recipient's name and email address.
- Reserve your star and check out. Reserve the star and complete checkout. Star Registration costs $18.
- Blockchain registration. The Starmint records your registration on the Polygon blockchain. Once a star is registered, its name cannot be changed and nobody else can register that star with The Starmint.
- Your certificate. Your personalized digital certificate is created, showing the star chart, the star's name, its catalogue identifier and its coordinates. It is available in your Starmint account under My Stars.
- Find it, and add keepsakes if you wish. Look your star up in a free planetarium app using the identifier on your certificate. Printed keepsakes are made to order and shipped separately.
What You Receive
Your Certificate
Your digital certificate shows the star's name, its catalogue identifier, its celestial coordinates (right ascension and declination) and a star chart, plus the naming date and dedication if you choose to include them. A QR code links to the public blockchain record. The certificate is available in your Starmint account.
A Permanent Blockchain Record
Your registration is recorded on the Polygon blockchain. Open your star from My Stars and select View on Blockchain to see the record on polygonscan.com.
Physical Products (Optional)
Framed and mounted prints, mugs, hoodies, coasters and cushions, personalized with your star and made to order.
Perfect Occasions to Name a Star
A named star works as a gift across a wide range of occasions. It is personal without being presumptuous, meaningful without requiring prior knowledge of the recipient's tastes, and unique in a way that mass-produced gifts cannot be.
Birthday star gifts
Naming a star for someone's birthday — especially a milestone birthday (30, 40, 50, 60, 70) — is a natural fit. Each star can be registered only once, so it is a gift nobody else can give. For someone who has everything, a star is the one gift that cannot be found in any store.
In memory of someone who has passed
Naming a star as a memorial tribute is one of the most emotionally significant uses of star naming. When someone dies, a star bearing their name becomes a point of focus for grief, remembrance, and comfort — something the sky holds that connects the people left behind to the person they lost. It gives family and friends somewhere to look on anniversaries, on birthdays, on quiet nights. The Starmint's blockchain record means the memorial is permanent.
Anniversary or Valentine's Day
Naming a star as an anniversary gift carries a kind of celestial permanence that other gifts don't have. A specific point of light in the night sky — fixed to precise coordinates, documented on the blockchain, bearing both names — is a romantic gesture with no obvious parallel. For the person who wants something truly different on a first, fifth, twenty-fifth, or fiftieth anniversary, a named star is it.
New baby
Naming a star for a newborn creates a gift that the child will grow into. The star exists when they are born; it will be there when they are grown. The certificate documents the moment — the date, the name, the dedication — in a form that lasts longer than a photo book or a keepsake box. It is a gift for the child's future self as much as for the parents right now.
Graduations and new chapters
A named star is a way of marking an achievement at the scale it deserves. Graduations, promotions, retirements, moves across the world — these are moments big enough to record in the sky.
How to Find Your Named Star in the Night Sky
One of the best parts of naming a star is actually finding it. Your certificate gives you what you need.
Reading the coordinates
Your star's position is given in right ascension (RA) and declination (Dec) — the celestial equivalent of longitude and latitude. Right ascension is measured in hours, minutes, and seconds (from 0h to 24h, moving eastward along the celestial equator). Declination is measured in degrees north or south of the celestial equator. You don't need to understand the mathematics; the coordinates pinpoint your star, and the catalogue identifier printed beside them is the quickest way to look it up.
Using a stargazing app
Stellarium Web is free and runs in any web browser. Type the catalogue identifier from your certificate (for example, HD 131491) into its search box, and it centres the sky map on your star and shows its brightness and its rise and set times. The star appears under its catalogue name; the name you gave it is held in your Starmint registration. Stellarium also offers desktop and mobile apps.
Naked-eye visibility
Whether your star is visible without a telescope depends on its apparent magnitude — a numerical scale of brightness where lower numbers mean brighter. Stars visible to the unaided eye have a magnitude of 6.0 or brighter (Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, is magnitude −1.46). Stars fainter than magnitude 6 require binoculars or a small telescope. You can look up your star's magnitude in Stellarium using the identifier on your certificate.
Verifying the blockchain registration
To verify your registration, sign in, open your star from My Stars and select View on Blockchain. The record opens on polygonscan.com: timestamped, public, and impossible to alter. The QR code on your certificate links to the public record too.
Frequently Asked Questions About Naming a Star
Is naming a star legitimate?
Yes. Naming a star through a private registry is a personal and commemorative tradition. The Starmint records each registration on the Polygon blockchain, a public ledger, so the record does not depend on a private company database. What it isn't is an IAU scientific designation — the IAU handles those separately, by design. What you get is a real catalogued star and a permanent public record of the name you gave it.
Can two people name the same star?
No. Each star in The Starmint's catalogue can be registered only once. Once your star is registered, nobody else can register it with The Starmint. We can't speak for other registries, because their databases are private.
What is the difference between The Starmint and the IAU?
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) assigns scientific names to stars for use in research and navigation. That process is closed to the public by design — scientific names must be stable. The Starmint creates personal dedications: meaningful registrations linked to real stars and permanently recorded on the Polygon blockchain. These serve completely different purposes, and neither one invalidates the other.
How do I find my named star in the sky?
Look your star up in Stellarium Web, a free planetarium that runs in any web browser: type the catalogue identifier from your certificate into the search box and it shows where your star is in the sky. On a clear night away from city lights, stars brighter than magnitude 6.0 are visible to the naked eye. Stellarium shows your star's magnitude, so you know whether binoculars or a telescope are needed.
What does the blockchain transaction hash mean?
The transaction hash is the unique identifier of your star's registration on the Polygon blockchain. You will find it on your star's page under My Stars, next to the View on Blockchain button, which opens the record on polygonscan.com. The record cannot be altered or deleted.
What physical products are available?
The Starmint offers framed and mounted prints, mugs, hoodies, coasters and cushions, personalized with your star. They are made to order and sold separately from the registration.
How long does delivery take?
Your digital certificate is created once your star is registered and is available in your Starmint account. Printed keepsakes are made to order and shipped separately, so delivery time depends on the item and where it is going.
Can I name a star in memory of someone who has passed away?
Yes. You can name a star for anyone, including someone who has passed away. The registration is permanent, and you can add a dedication of up to 570 characters to the certificate. If you would like a star in the sky over a particular place, choose it by location.
Name a Star Today
Now that you know how star naming works, the only thing left is to choose one. Star Registration is $18: a named star, a personalized certificate with its star chart, a permanent blockchain record, and the option to add printed keepsakes. It takes a few minutes. The star is there forever.