What
is a Star Name?
With billions of stars in our galaxy alone, very
few of them have commonly used names, such as the North
Star. The vast majority of stars are referred to by telescopic
coordinates or catalog numbers. These unnamed stars
are available in our Star Catalog.
What
is a Star Catalog?
Our Universal Star Catalog is comprised of a huge list
of stars that includes their telescopic coordinates
along with designation numbers.
What
does a Star Certificate look like? What do they say?
The Star Certificates that we provide you are very attractive.
We are constantly getting comments from our customers about how pleased
they are when they get their Star Certificate.
Click here
to see an image of one of our Star Certificates.
Are there any limitations on what
I can name my star?
Some people use full names, some people use first names, some people use knicknames and some people use two names.
It can be anything. The only real limitation is that the name must be 39 or less letters long.
What is the dedication date?
The dedication date is any special date that you want on your certificate. It can be a birthdate, marriage date, anniversary, Christmas Day, you name it.
If you're stuck for a special date it can always be the date that you purchased the star.
Will
my star name be officially recognized?
Our registry and star catalog are not coordinated
with the scientific community. Therefore, you won’t
have some astrophysicist calling your star “John
Smith.” They will continue to use the telescopic
coordinates, since it is more convenient for them. Naming
a star is a symbolic gesture on your part that shows
your sincere appreciation for the person being named.
Have you ever
received any testimonial letters?
Yes! Giving a star can be a very emotional experience.
We had one person use our service to pop the question. There are many reasons for
naming a star, but whatever the occasion or reason, we are very happy that our service
helps touch the lives of our customers. Click Here to see
one of our testimonial letters.
Will
I be able to see the star I have named?
Absolutely! Some of our stars can be seen with the
naked eye and some require telescopes for viewing. But,
because our star coordinates are so definitively precise,
you will be able to locate your star. However, you may not necessarily be
able to see your star from your city's location. We recommend
planetarium software packages available that allow you
to see star charts on a personal computer. The better
of these programs will allow you to find your star.
Where
do you publish your registry of star names and can I
access it?
You can utilize this exclusive service of StarNamer.com
simply by clicking on the
“Find Your Star” link located on your top left. Once you purchase a
star name, you will be given a star registration number,
with which you can access our registry completely
free of charge. You’ll see your name in the registry
along with the dedication date and precise star coordinates.
Can
I get extra copies of my star certificate?
Yes...and they’re FREE, too! It’s another
exclusive service of StarNamer.com! On your top left click on the “Find Your Star” link. After
purchasing a star name, use the registration number
you receive to access our registry. Then, enter your email address and click
on the button and your certificate will be sent to you via email. Once you receive it you can
print it on your computer's printer.
How
do I order an engraved star ornament separately?
If you have already purchased a star and know your star registration number, you
can purchase the engraved sterling silver finish star ornament separately by clicking here.
If you don't know your star registration number, you can find it on the "ContactUs" link to the top left
as long as you know the name of the star. Use the "Find Star Registration Number" service request.
Will you be able to ship
to my special address? We ship to PO Boxes, FPO addresses and ANY address that you can think of. If you currently
receive mail there or if your mail forwards to you, you will get your star package.
We ship stars to countries all over the world.
I am concerned I may not receive
my Star Package in time for a special occassion. What do I do?
If you have ordered your star close to the day that you want to give it to
the recipient and you don't think that you will get it on time, there is something that you
can do. You must know your star registration number. You can find it two ways. First, look at the receipt
that was emailed to you when you placed your online order. Second, you can go to the "Contact Us" link
and using the "Find Your Star Registration Number" Service Request enter the name of the star to find your number.
Once you have your star registration number, you can use the "Find Your Star" link to get a copy of
your certificate emailed to you immediately! You can then use this certificate temporarily
until your star package arrives.
After
I place my order, how long until I receive my Star Package?
The electronic star certificate ($25.95) is delivered
to you immediately by our web server. If you need something
quickly, this is your best option. The Star Name gift
packages that are $39.95 and $69.95 are printed by us
and will ship within two business days after receipt of your order.
Standard shipping is delivered by truck from New Jersey,
USA. This may take 10 business days or more to get to the west coast. 95% of our orders arrive in
three weeks or less. Please be patient especially if you have selected ground shipping. If time is a consideration, we strongly suggest Priority shipping. Priority shipping is delivered by air and requires
about two to three days transit time AFTER we process your order. It takes about 7 business days to receive Air Mail in Europe after we ship.
If
I need many Star Certificates, can I get a volume discount?
Yes, you can. If you need three stars, we have a special offer on our 3-Pak. The unit price is the same as our normal price. However, you get a discount on the shipping charges. Click here for our 3-Pak offer. If you need ten or more stars, go to the Contact Us page using the link on your top left, select "CONTACT SALES DEPT" and
tell us about your order quantity and we will get back to you with the discount. Thank you.
I don’t
have a credit card, how do I get a star?
Fill out the order-by-mail form on the “How To Order” link.
Send that form by mail to our street address with a money order for the amount of your order plus shipping
(and 6% sales tax if you are a NJ state resident) and we will process your order
immediately upon receipt. We're sorry, we do not accept personal checks.
Do you have different certificates that
say "in memory of" instead of "in honor of"?
We're sorry, we only have certificates that say "in honor of" the named person. We hope this isn't a problem for you.
However, there is nothing inappropriate about honoring a deceased person. We use this wording on all of our stars and it is quite suitable for a memorial.
I would like to
order a Planetarium Software CD, can I do it?
Yes you can! If you need to get a Windows compatible Planetarium Software CD, so that you can locate your star on your computer we can accomodate you and do not charge for the CD.
This CD comes free included with your diploma style star package or framed style star package. If you would like to get another we will ship it to you and only charge you for the freight.
Click here to order your Planetarium Software CD.
I would like to
custom pick my own star, can I do it?
Yes you can! We can accomodate two types of special requests.
If you have request for a star visible from a specific city. Or if you have a request for a particular constellation.
However, as this is a completely custom and manual procedure, we charge an additional fee for this. You have your choice of either the deluxe framed star package or the diploma style star package.
Either package comes complete with Planetarium Software CD and star chart depicting the location of your star. The cost for either package is $89.95 plus freight.
You will definitely be pleased with the outcome. Click here to order your CUSTOM star. To see about upgrading/exchanging your existing star package to a CUSTOM star package, go to the "ContactUS" link to the upper left and select the Upgrade/Exchange service option.
I would like to buy
two stars next to each other, can I do it?
Yes, we also offer this! If you want two stars that appear in the sky next to each other, we can accomodate you. You will get a pair of star packages so you and your special someone can each have their own certificate package while knowing you will be next to each other forever. Click here to see one of the star charts of a star pair!
As this is a completely custom and manual procedure, we charge an additional fee for this service. You have your choice of either a pair of deluxe framed star packages or a pair of the diploma style star packages.
Both star packages come complete with Planetarium Software CD and star chart for each of you depicting the location of your stars. Click here to order your pair of stars next to each other.
How come the star location coordinates you use aren't specified in hours and minutes? Just as one temperature can be represented by two different numbers, Celsius(Centigrade) or Fahrenheit, one star location can be designated by two different systems. Our star coordinates are precise to many decimal digits and are much more accurate than those specified by the hours and minutes system.
However, if you need to convert from the decimal system to the hours and minutes system, do the following calculation. To get the hours,
divide our RA by 360 and multiply that result by 24. The decimal remainder of that result needs to be multiplied by 60 to get the minutes.
For the Declination, both systems range between -90 and 90 but the fractional portion is different. Ours is decimal an theirs is minutes. To make the conversion, the decimal remainder needs to be multiplied by 60 to get the minutes.
For your convenience, we have provided an Excel spreadsheet to make the conversion for you. Click here for the conversion spreadsheet.
How can I get
a free picture of my star and see its location?
Go to the following link and you can download free software that shows you an actual picture of your star. The good folks at Google.com that provide this free star viewing software are not affiliated with StarNamer.
To use their Google Earth software you will need to first convert your star's location data, that is it's right ascension and declination to the hours and minutes system (please see above for conversion).
Once you have made this conversion start Google Earth and click on the Sky icon. The program has now made a virtual telescope out of your pc. Find your star by inputting the RA and DEC into Location Search entry field and clicking the magnifying glass.
Zoom in or out to get a nice image of your star then click the printer icon to get a printed picture of your star.
We hope this has been of help to you however we do not provide support for this software.
Click here to get your FREE star picture.
