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A new breed of naming company
tackles the star-naming business.

These Mattel dolls come with glow-in-the-dark pajamas -- and a real star in the sky that you can name.

NASHVILLE, October 7, 2003. Douglas Hall is mad and he's not going to take it any more. The retired Vanderbilt University astronomy professor is making a second career out of debunking naming companies. Not the naming consultants who help companies find clever business names. But naming companies that, according to Hall, exploit the public's ignorance about naming stars.

Take the International Star Registry, for example. With their help, "you can name an actual star." They will ship out a Deluxe Star Kit to you today for only $54. Unless of course, you want the Ultimate Framed Package, which goes for only $139 plus shipping and handling. What makes this one worth the money is the personalized wallet card imprinted with the star name and its coordinates in the heavens.

Even Mattel has gotten into the act with the Shining Stars Doll. "Born in the sky, it's dressed in a lavender, pink, or blue, star-shaped bunting with adorable glow-in-the-dark pajamas and a hairbrush. And it even comes with a real star in the sky that you can name. Everything you need to name your star with the International Star Registry is included. The star naming kit contains a map showing the location of your star and a naming card you can complete and send to the International Star Registry. Once you name your star, it's yours to wish upon forever."

Hall and other astronomers say that some star-naming companies mislead their customers into thinking that the star name they select will be scientifically recognized. They report that many family members are hurt when they ask an astronomer to locate a star named for Uncle Stanley and are told there is no star called Uncle Stanley.

Hall says that, "Star-naming companies take advantage of the public's lack of education about the stars by taking their money and giving them something bogus, a star name." So Hall has started his own star-namer busting business, charging $50 a certificate for a piece of paper that has some facts about a star but no name -- only the six-digit star number approved by the International Astronomical Union.

Weighing in for the star-naming business is Cort Vaughn, the marketing director for Name a Star, which has been selling star names since 1978. "We've had several people from NASA call up to name a star, and they know it’s not official."

If you do name a star and it happens to fall out of the heavens, that's when you want to make sure you picked the right star-naming company. One company reportedly offers to rename a different star if the original star falls from the sky.