Questions and answers

Yes. Every star on our map is a real star from the HYG database, which combines the Hipparcos, Yale Bright Star and Gliese catalogues. The memorial page and certificate give its catalogue number and exact coordinates, so you can find it with any planetarium app or telescope.

No, and no company can make it official. Only the International Astronomical Union names stars, and it doesn't sell names. Your memorial is a personal, symbolic tribute recorded in our registry: once you name a star here, nobody else can name it on Named in Light.

It depends on how bright the star is, where you live and how dark your sky is. Our guide How to find your star in the night sky walks you through it. Brighter stars (lower magnitude numbers) are easiest to spot.

Yes. Choose "A pet" when you fill in who you're remembering. Read more about pet memorial stars.

An email (and a text message, if you add a mobile number) with a link to the memorial page: the sky chart, their name and years, your words, any photo or song you added, and a certificate to download and print.

Whoever you'd like: yourself, a parent, a partner or the whole family through one person. You can send it again later from My stars.

Yes. Send it right away, or on a date that matters, such as a birthday or the anniversary. We send it at that time in your time zone.

With Family Memorial and Lasting Light you can add a family password. Anyone with the link sees the star, but only people with the password can read the message.

There is no subscription and no renewal. The page stays online for as long as Named in Light exists.

Yes. Go to My stars, choose Edit, and update the name, years, message, photo, who receives it or when it's sent.

Remembrance Star is $39, Family Memorial $69 and Lasting Light $119. Each is a single payment.

Payments are handled by Stripe, a major card processor. Your card details go straight to Stripe and never reach our servers.

Enter it in the Review and pay step, then press Apply. The discount shows before you pay.

We're sorry. Contact us with your order details and we'll put it right.