Name a galaxy. A real one.
Dedicate a real, NASA-catalogued galaxy in any name, memory, or message you choose. Your dedication is filed permanently in our public registry and printed on a 12″×18″ archival cotton certificate, shipped worldwide. From $39, 60-day satisfaction guarantee.
What “naming” a galaxy actually means
Officially, only the International Astronomical Union can name celestial objects — and the IAU does not sell that right. So any service claiming to officially name a star or galaxy on your behalf is lying. We don’t do that.
What we do is run a permanent, public, searchable registry of symbolic galaxy dedications, each tied to a real, NASA-catalogued galaxy with verified coordinates, distance, and morphology. Your dedication becomes part of an archival record that lasts indefinitely — and the galaxy itself is real, observable from any telescope on Earth using the coordinates we ship with the certificate.
Think of it like a memorial bench plaque in a park. Nobody owns the bench, but the dedication is filed and lasts. Same here, except instead of a bench it’s a 13-billion-year-old galaxy that demonstrably exists.
How to name a galaxy in 3 steps
- 01
Pick a galaxy
Choose from 2,068 real galaxies across four tiers — Standard SDSS catalog entries ($39), Notable Hubble-photographed galaxies ($79), Named Messier classics like the Whirlpool or Sombrero ($149), or Signature limited galaxies like the JWST First Deep Field ($299). 4 in 5 buyers pick the Named tier.
- 02
Write the dedication
Your dedication name appears on the printed certificate and is filed permanently in our public registry. Anything goes — a person, an inside joke, an anniversary date, a memorial. Optional inscription below the name for a longer message.
- 03
Receive the certificate
Production starts within 24 hours. Ships worldwide in a rigid archival tube, 5–9 business days US, 7–18 international. A digital edition is emailed instantly. 60-day satisfaction guarantee — if it’s not the gift you expected, full refund and you keep the print.
Common questions
How do I name a galaxy?
Pick one from our registry of 2,068 real, NASA-catalogued galaxies. Enter your dedication name, your email, and shipping address. Your galaxy is filed permanently in our public registry and we ship a 12×18″ archival certificate to the recipient. Most people pick the Named tier ($149) — Messier, NGC, IC classics like the Whirlpool, Sombrero, and Andromeda Galaxies.
Is naming a galaxy real?
Yes and no — depends what you mean by real. Officially, only the International Astronomical Union (IAU) can name celestial objects, and the IAU does not sell that right. Anyone selling 'official' star or galaxy names is lying. What we sell is a public, permanent, searchable registry of symbolic dedications, each tied to a real NASA-catalogued galaxy. Like a bench plaque in a park: the bench isn't yours, but the dedication is filed and lasts.
Can I name a galaxy after someone?
Yes. Most people do. The dedication name can be a person, an event, an inside joke, an anniversary date, anything you want. The print arrives as a 12×18″ archival cotton certificate with the dedication name set in display type, the galaxy's catalog identifier, real coordinates, distance, and a hand-numbered registry seal.
How much does it cost to name a galaxy?
Tiers from $39 to $299. Standard SDSS or NGC catalog entries: $39. Notable galaxies photographed by Hubble: $79. Named Messier classics (Whirlpool, Sombrero, Andromeda): $149. Signature limited galaxies (JWST First Deep Field, Hubble Ultra Deep Field): $299. Every tier ships the same archival print and gets the same permanent registry entry.
Does my galaxy stay mine forever?
Yes. When you claim a galaxy, it's removed from the available pool permanently — it cannot be re-dedicated by anyone else. Your registry entry stays filed in our public archive in perpetuity, with a unique entry number you can search any time.
What's the difference between this and a star-naming site?
Star-naming sites sell paper certificates that no astronomer recognizes — the IAU has zero affiliation with any of them. We do something different: a permanent public registry of symbolic dedications tied to real galaxies (older, rarer, more documented than stars), with a 60-day refund guarantee, a real archival cotton print, and your dedication permanently filed.