International Star Registry
The International Star Registry (ISR) is an organization founded in 1979, which sells the right to unofficially name stars. Products and services are often marketed as gifts or memorials.
Private | |
Industry | Marketing |
Founded | 1979 |
Founders | John and Phyllis Mosele |
Headquarters | Glenview, Illinois |
Products | Certificates, kits |
Services | Unofficial star naming and registration |
Website | www |
History
International Star Registry of Illinois was started in 1979 by John and Phyllis Mosele. The company claims to have named about 2 million stars since its formation and published these names in a series of books. It has been organizing their business of naming stars for people for decades. The present owner of the company is Rocky Mosele, one of John and Phyllis Mosele's twelve children.[1] The company has published nine large volumes of the copyrighted book named Your Place in the Cosmos.[2]
Business
Products and services are often marketed as gifts or memorials. Packages sold by the company include framed and unframed certificates, personalized jewelry, plush toys, and pet rocks identifying "naming" of a star as described in the book.[3] Naming services are limited to an entry in the book and carries no scientific or official authenticity according to professional astronomers as well as the company's list of frequently asked questions.[4][5][6][7][8]
In 1998 the International Star Registry was issued a violation by the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs for deceptive advertising for claiming "official" naming rights and have since discontinued this claim.[9]
Bibliography
- Your Place in the Cosmos, Volume I. Total Pages 530; ISBN 0961435402
- Your Place in the Cosmos, Volume II. Total Pages 508; ISBN 0961435410
- Your Place in the Cosmos, Volume III. Total Pages 388; ISBN 0-9614354-2-9
- Your Place in the Cosmos, Volume IV. Total Pages 502; ISBN 0-9614354-3-7
- Your Place in the Cosmos, Volume V. Total Pages 680; ISBN 0961435445
- Your Place in the Cosmos, Volume VI. Total Pages 717; ISBN 0-9614354-5-3
- Your Place in the Cosmos, Volume VII. Total Pages 773; ISBN 0-9614354-6-1
- Your Place in the Cosmos, Volume VIII. Total Pages 652; ISBN 096143547X
- Your Place in the Cosmos, Volume IX. Total Pages 943; ISBN 0961435488
See also
- Extraterrestrial real estate
- Grand Star Registrar
- Star designation
References
- "Reaching For The Stars". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
- "LC Online Catalog - Item Information (Full Record)". catalog.loc.gov. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
- "Product Catalog". International Star Registry. Archived from the original on 2009-08-31. Retrieved 2009-10-30.
- Bob Berman (2003). Strange Universe: The Weird and Wild Science of Everyday Life--on Earth and Beyond. Henry Holt and Company. p. 158. ISBN 978-0-8050-7328-7.
- ISR FAQ, FAQ from International Star Registry
- Di Justo, Patrick. "Buy a Star, But It's Not Yours". Wired Magazine. Retrieved 7 October 2009.
Robert Naeye, editor of Mercury Magazine, a publication of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, puts it in no uncertain terms:
"The star names sold by the International Star Registry are not recognized by any professional astronomical organization. - Philip C. Plait (2002-03-05). Bad Astronomy. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0-471-40976-6.
- "The OFFICIAL Star Naming FAQ" (archived at Internet Archive]
- Plait, Phil (18 February 2012). "International Hollywood Star Registry". Slate. Retrieved 7 March 2017.
- Your place in the cosmos: a layman's book of astronomy and the mythology of the eighty-eight celestial constellations and registry. Open Library. 1 January 1985. OL 2873475M.
- "My Sky Moment".